Nandini Oomman

 
Nandini Oomman
Profile
Nandini Oomman joined CGD in March 2006 as the director of the HIV/AIDS Monitor, which tracks the effectiveness of the three main aid responses to the epidemic: the Global Fund, the HIV/AIDS Africa MAP program of the World Bank, and the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Nandini manages the initiative and oversees much of the research program that underpins it. She has more than 15 years of public health research, program and policy experience, with emphasis on population, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.


Full Bio
http://www.cgdev.org/content/expert/detail/6727/

Posts:

 

October 2, 2009

Wanted Now: A Pragmatic and Visionary Leader for the Improved UN Entity for Women

By Nandini Oomman

This is a joint post with Geeta Rao Gupta.

In all of last week’s hoopla in NYC with the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the Clinton Global Initiative in full swing, news about an improved, composite U.N. entity for women (still to be formally named) went under the radar. The idea for consolidating several U.N. agencies into one has been in the works for about three years, but was finally adopted just two weeks ago. The resolution merely approves the creation of the entity and states that the Secretary General should announce the final plan for the structure and mission of the agency at next year’s UNGA. Now that’s classic UN style—to take one entire year to figure out what has already been figured out! It’s time for urgent and quick next steps, which if implemented smartly (not just politically) can make all the difference. Read More…

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August 20, 2009

Obama, Clinton: Elevating Women’s Issues but Not Global Development?

By Nandini Oomman

This blog entry also appeared on the Huffington Post.

President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton deserve high marks for their efforts to promote enhanced rights and opportunities for women in developing countries. Clinton’s persistent focus on raising women’s issues in every African country she visited last week add oomph to early and commendable policy steps by the White House and the State Department (here, here, here). But something important is missing: a clear, strong, overarching American agenda for global economic growth and development. Read More…

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October 25, 2006

The World According to Sesame Street Muppets

By Nandini Oomman

Sesame StreetPBS TV aired The World According to Sesame Street last night, a fascinating documentary about Sesame Street and how it has gone global, not just as “American” entertainment for children, but as a catalyst for social and economic development by targeting the youngest citizens around the world. The film follows productions in Bangladesh, Kosovo and South Africa and “examines how producers from New York’s Sesame Workshop take the iconic American television show and localize it with indigenous songs, puppets and curricula while facing cultural, political and production challenges.”

Sisimpur in Bangladesh has been co-produced with a local Bangladeshi company to address issues of poverty and gender inequality; Rruga Sesam and Ulica Sezam in Kosovo is aired in Albanian and Serbian to assist in the peace process; and in South Africa, Takalani Sesame addresses the very real daily challenges of children living in a country with one of the world’s most quickly growing HIV infection rates by creating an HIV+ muppet called Kami, who is wildly successful in communicating these messages to children, albeit with a few hiccups at the start.

Read More…

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