We are proud to release this issue of ANS as a participating journal for the global theme "Poverty and Human Development" organized by the Council of Science Editors. At the time of release of this issue of ANS for publication, 230 journals from around the world, representing a wide range of disciplines, are participating in this initiative to simultaneously publish articles to raise awareness and stimulate interest and research related to poverty and human development. All participating journals are releasing their themed issue on or after October 22, 2007. For information about this initiative and to see the list of all participating journals, go to http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/globalthemeissue.cfm.

All editors of participating journals were invited to nominate one article to be presented at an event to recognize and publicize the release of this global theme issue. The event, scheduled for October 22, 2007 on the NIH campus, is cosponsored by the Fogarty International Center and the National Library of Medicine of the US National Institutes of Health. I was honored to nominate for this recognition the lead article for this issue: "Applying a feminist approach to health and human rights research in Malawi: A study of violence in the lives of female domestic workers" by Lucy Mkandawire-Valhmu, PhD, RN, and Patricia E. Stevens, PhD, RN, FAAN. Consistent with the criteria to qualify for this nomination, Mkandawire-Valhmu and Stevens' article reports new and innovative, high-quality research, data collected within the last 5 years, and a clear and major influence on practice and policy.

All of the articles in this issue of ANS address important issues of poverty, human rights, and human development worldwide and contribute to developing knowledge that is needed within the discipline of nursing to address these issues. Furthermore, the authors published in this issue of ANS are from many different geographic locations around the world and speak from the perspectives that come from within cultures that are seriously underrepresented in scholarly discourse. The publication of work that comes from these diverse perspectives is itself a major contribution toward addressing issues of health, human rights, and the serious problems that sustain inequities in health and healthcare worldwide.

It is my hope that this issue of ANS becomes recognized for the contributions it makes to the global theme initiative of the Council of Science Editors. I also hope that this issue will be recognized as a milestone in bringing increased visibility for the diverse perspectives from around the world that are needed in our discipline. Indeed, these authors have brought forward insights and perspectives from around the world that raise awareness and provide new possibilities for bringing together knowledge and action to make a difference worldwide.

Peggy L. Chinn, PhD, RN, FAAN Editor