We are organizing a People's Summit, the G6B Conference to be held just prior to the G8 meeting in June, 2002 in Calgary, Canada. The People's Summit will address issues of global importance. In researching HIV in Africa for the People's Summit, we are requesting information regarding the following:
* What are the areas of interest for your organization?
* Can you provide us with specific information in the areas of your work regarding HIV in Africa?
* Are you interested in collaborating with the People's Summit Conference?
* Can your organization join the Conference? Are you able to fund the participation of a delegate to the Conference? We are looking for experts in this area to join a Health Committee Panel during the Conference. Do you know of any such persons who would be suitable for this?
More information on the G6B Conference can be found at the website.
Governance and participation in health
EThis report shares the highlights and lessons learned from the third year of "Community Lessons, Global Learning", a collaboration between the International HIV/AIDS Alliance and Positive Action, GlaxoSmithKline. The report includes approaches to the HIV/AIDS pandemic over the past twenty years that work. It highlights applications for moving from successful small scale projects that reach relatively few individuals to effective strategies that really make an impact on the pandemic is the challenge. Posing the question, “How can individual NGOs/CBOs scale-up their own contribution to effective responses.”
Africa Action will fight for the following goals:
1. unconditional cancellation of Africa’s illegitimate foreign debt, 2. equal access to drugs and treatment, 3. an end to IMF/ World Bank colonialism, 4. an end to discrimination on the basis of race, gender, and HIV status, and 5. promotion of a public discourse on reparations (the need for the West to invest in Africa’s health care as an obligation— not charity). For a wide range of campaign resources, visit the Africa Action website.
Every day 37,000 people die from preventable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.* Most of these deaths are in the developing world where many life-saving drugs are unaffordable because they are patented under rules set by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). There is now a strong movement of governments, charities, churches, activist groups and health bodies urging the WTO to change these rules to allow countries the right to make vital medicines more cheaply. However a few rich WTO members - particularly the United States - are blocking these moves, and pressurising developing countries to apply even more restrictive rules at national level. Oxfam, Third World Network and Health Gap Coalition are part of a global alliance which is urging WTO members, in particular the US, to demonstrate their commitment to put people's health before the profits of powerful drugs companies. Will you help us change the WTO rules? Add your name to our petition which we will present to the WTO at its forthcoming summit.
The book is a review of the June 1999 democratic elections in South Africa and has extensive chapters on the role of civil society and voter education and election monitoring of the elections as well as a 25 page chapter on the role of the media in the election process.
Is tobacco control a development issue? How will the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) affect developing countries? What new research is needed to explore these issues? What do YOU think? id21 Health's email discussion aims to bring a broader development perspective to the tobacco control debate. Participants will include international and national policy-makers, health professionals, tobacco control agencies, NGOs and researchers from diverse academic disciplines. A summary of the discussion will be distributed to participants at the next round of negotiations on the FCTC in late November. To join the discussion, send an email to lyris@lyris.ids.ac.uk, with the message: ''subscribe tobacco Firstname Lastname", e.g. "subscribe tobacco Emily Smith".
This Worldview International project is a youth Internet forum on global issues. Every fortnight, they cover pertinent issues, chosen by youth themselves through an offline and online poll. Recent discussions have included Sexuality Education: If Not Now, Then When?
Third World Network, Oxfam International and Health Gap Coalition are launching a global online petition which we hope will demonstrate the strength of global public support for WTO patent rules that put people before the profits of powerful drug companies. The petition is addressed to George Bush as a leading international figure whose government is blocking changes and clarifications to the TRIPS Agreement that would mean cheaper medicines for people in developing countries. The petition will run from September 1st through to the WTO Ministerial in Quatar in November where it will be handed over to the US Government. Sign and support the petition which is online at the Oxfam website.
In a response to pressures from civil society organisations (CSOs) internationally, especially through the People's Health Assembly held in Dhaka in December 2000, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has finally conceded the importance of engaging with CSOs. Commenting on the formation of the WHO Civil Society Intiative, Eva Wallstam, Director, said: "This is a time when the Health for All core values of equity, dignity and human rights, need to be more clearly articulated ... For WHO this means reaching out, beyond the formal health sector to other partners and to a wide range of civil society actors." The full text of her speech is available below.
The 1st NAPWA CONGRESS which took place on the 25-27 May 2001, in Crown Mines resolved the following: Noting that there is still no clear policies with regard to treatment protocols for opportunistic infections and administration of antiretroviral drugs for people living with HIV/AIDS at public institutions, and NAPWA is not yet fully represented in all decision making structures of care and support, we therefore resolve that:
- The Government should make relevant policies coupled with the provision of treatment that is affordable to people living with HIV/AIDS.
- The health institutions should start providing a user friendly service which is conducive to unhindered healing process for PWAs.
- The Government produces a clear programme on home based care And offer relevant financial support to the program.
- Provide ongoing counselling to those who want to disclose.
- The government should provide nutritional and vitamin supplement
- And NAPWA to begin a process of participating in all government structures that make decisions on treatment, care and support at all levels of government from local clinic committees to South African National Aids Council.
- And that NAPWA should advocate and explore alternative treatment programmes.