African Speakers of Parliaments and Presidents of Senate have unanimously adopted a landmark resolution on a Declaration of Commitment to prioritise parliamentary support for increased policy and budget action on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in African countries. The milestone Declaration of Commitment was adopted at the 3rd Pan African Speakers Conference 17th – 18th October 2011, in Midrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. In the communiqué issued at the end of the conference, the speakers committed to “prioritise policy and budget support for implementation of African Union Summit Decisions, in particular the … Kampala July 2010 Summit Declaration on the Summit theme of “Actions on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Development in Africa”. The Commitment was the first of its kind by African Speakers of Parliament, and marks a significant milestone in accelerating progress in Africa towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 on Child and Maternal Health, respectively. It also promises high-level parliamentary support to hasten implementation of the Africa Parliamentary Policy and Budget Action Plan on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, agreed by Chairs of Finance and Budget committees of national parliaments in October 2010.
Governance and participation in health
Government of Botswana partners with two international organisations: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Africa Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnership to implement Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision with the target of circumcising 80 % of HIV negative men in 5 years. This paper uses a systems model to establish how the functioning of the partnership on Safe Male Circumcision in Botswana contributed to the outcome. Data were collected using observations, focus group discussions and interviews. Thirty participants representing all three partners were observed in a 3-day meeting; followed by three rounds of in-depth interviews with five selected leading officers over 2 years and three focus group discussions. Financial resources, “ownership” and the target were found to influence the success or failure of partnerships. A combination of inputs by partners brought progress towards achieving set program goals. Although there were tensions between partners, they worked together in strategising to address some challenges of the partnership and implementation. The authors found that pressure to meet the expectations of the international funders caused tension and challenges between the in-country partners to the extent of Development Partners retreating and not pursuing the mission further. Target achievement, the link between financial contribution and ownership expectations caused antagonistic outcomes.
Members of the Kenya Parliament, specifically women, have expressed the need to close the evidence gap currently curtailing effective legislation and policy formulation. Speaking at a workshop organised by African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) and the Parliamentary Caucus on Evidence-Informed Decision-Making (PC-EIDM), the Members of Parliament (MPs) acknowledged the critical role evidence plays towards enhancing their effectiveness in legislation, representation and policy-making. The workshop, which specifically targeted members of the Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA), provided an excellent opportunity for the women Parliamentarians to speak out on the challenges they are grappling with as legislators. Hon Naisula Lesuuda, a nominated Senator, Samburu County and the Deputy Chairperson of KEWOPA in the Senate, said that through the Association, women in Parliament play a critical role since KEWOPA’s mandate is to ensure that policies are gender-responsive, and that programmes related to women’s affairs get adequate resource allocation. Evidence is therefore of essence as the Association needs to ensure that its recommendations are evidence-informed. The MPs expressed their desire to use evidence to debate policy issues but the evidence is not readily available. There were also calls to digitise all data in the custody of various government ministries and to have it uploaded to an online portal to enhance its accessibility by Parliamentarians when need arises. In addition, the MPs noted that they would have achieved more during their current tenure had relevant evidence on pressing socio-economic challenges in their areas of jurisdiction been presented immediately they took over office. In a bid to identify strategies to enhance evidence use in Parliament, the members called attention to the need for the training of research and personal assistants.
The Olympic Games may go back 3,000 years to Ancient Greece, but the international sporting event that takes place every four years didn’t take on its modern form until 1896. And while the games claim to represent global sporting culture, as suggested by the Olympics’ logo, the author argues that many of the sports seem to have uniquely European aristocratic origins. He asks, what would the Olympics in Rio look like if traditional African sports were included? This article discusses seven traditional African sports that would be welcomed additions to the games: including Ngolo and capoeira, Afro-Brazilian and West African martial arts, Senegalese wrestling, donkey racing and Dambe boxing.
The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) which is an organ of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Africa Region) held a two day East Africa Sub-Regional sensitization workshop in July 2016. Themed “Establishing CWP Chapters to Leverage Women Representation and Advocacy,” the CWP sensitization workshop is to encourage all branches to set up CWP Chapters and functional structures and adoption of the guidelines fully and to advocate for policies legislation and programmes that eradicate social, cultural and religious practices that are harmful to the women. Rt. Hon. Mukabalisa said that Rwanda’s achievements in gender equality and women empowerment have been made possible by the strong political will and the commitment from the highest level, accompanied by innovative, home-grown and people centered development approaches. Hon. Angela Thoko Didiza Vice Chairperson of CWP Africa Region and its current Acting Chairperson stated that despite the recognition of women’s rights and need for deliberate action towards the empowerment of women; there remains a marked difference in the status and access of men and women in political, social, economic domains. She confirmed that even where has been progress, there are still challenges in ensuring the full participation of women, “ensuring gender equality and participation of women in decision-making position is imperative to human development. There is a need to change the traditional roles that limit women’s potential, as well as acknowledge women’s full contribution to social and economic development.”
This research project was carried out to ascertain the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Social Networking Sites (SNSs) in political governance of East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Parliament. It was based on the conviction that in this era of globalisation use of ICTs and SNS‘s are fundamentally important and will have tremendous impact on governance, leadership and legislation. The findings showed that that all the parliamentarian respondents were subscribed to social networking sites and used them from time to time. The EALA parliamentarians had a disparity when it came to use of SNSs to interact with constituents, 73% indicated that they have used SNSs to interact with constituents on matters affecting the community from time to time however 27% did not. The use of ICTs and SNSs by EALA was argued by the authors to enable citizens to view Assembly proceedings in real time. The recommend that Parliamentarians in Africa embrace SNS‘s as major tools in interacting with and being accountable to their constituents.
A new project ‘woman, rise’ is a special collaboration project with Ghanaian muralist, Ayambire Faustina Nsoh, who descends from a tradition of women-led painting that carries lessons and messages around ethics and social relations, as well as a practice in space and design making daily life more beautiful. Visually, ‘woman, rise’, draws on how Nsoh learned how to paint from her grandmother in Sirigu, northern Ghana, and the global activist tradition of political murals, graffiti and stenciling. Horn’s project asks some critical probing by asking these questions: When we dream of African freedom, do we dream in the colours of our grandmothers’ cloths? Do we dream in the voice of young women rallying in a public square for an end to tyranny? And as we dream, do we hear the sound of women spirit mediums fortifying our souls by humming the ancestors into our midst? These women crafters of our liberation- do we know their names? These women who have offered heartbeat and intellect and magic to clear space in the world so all of us can breathe, do we know their faces? ‘Woman, rise’ explores the spirit of African women’s dynamic contributions to shaping selves, communities and a world that is equal. It invokes the history of African women who have worked against the grain of social expectations and offered their spiritual, intellectual and emotional power to the work of social change.
Sustainable Development Goal Three is rightly ambitious, but achieving it will require doing global health differently. Among other things, the authors argue that progressive civil society organisations will need to be recognised and supported as vital partners in achieving the necessary transformations. The authors argue, using illustrative examples, that a robust civil society can fulfil eight essential global health functions. These include producing compelling moral arguments for action, building coalitions beyond the health sector, introducing novel policy alternatives, enhancing the legitimacy of global health initiatives and institutions, strengthening systems for health, enhancing accountability systems, mitigating the commercial determinants of health and ensuring rights-based approaches. Given that civil society activism has catalysed tremendous progress in global health, there is a need to invest in and support it as a global public good to ensure that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development can be realised. Given that civil society activism has catalysed tremendous progress in global health, the authors consider civic engagement as vital to the transformation promised by the SDGs. The authors recognise the need for further research on role of CSOs in health governance at national and global levels. Many of the leading civil society organisations in global health, as well as those providing direct services, are struggling for survival, due to decreased resources. The authors suggest that this trend will have to be reversed if SDG3 is to be achieved. The historic commitment to finance civil society, made in the 2016 UN Political Declaration on Ending AIDS, recognises both the essential functions CSOs fulfil and the need to support them in doing so.
Closing space for African sexual and gender minority groups is argued by this author to affect access to critical services that no one else provides. In Kenya, for example, the Muslims of Human Rights (MUHURI) provide safe injection sites to prevent the sharing of needles among drug users, as studies show that needle sharing facilitates the spread of HIV. As a result, when the state froze the group's bank accounts, the crackdown also threatened the safety and wellbeing of people who need HIV treatment and care. To fight on their own, many GSM groups have been using the courts to help win victories. Whether it has been appealing the repressive Ugandan anti-gay law, or ordering the un-freezing of bank accounts in Kenya, or ruling against the denial of registration of LEGABIBO (an LGBT rights group in Botswana), most of these court victories are based on constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms of most open and democratic countries, and held under the International Declaration of Human Rights. Fostering partnerships with international organizations such as UNAIDS and the UN Human Rights Council has been very helpful for GSM organizations to facilitate their role in service access.
The accountability for reasonableness (AFR) concept has been developed and discussed for over two decades. Its interpretation has been studied in several ways partly guided by the specific settings and the researchers involved. Its potential use in health technology assessments (HTAs) has recently been identified another justification for AFR-based process guidance, but it has also raised concerns from those who primarily support the consistency and objectivity of more quantitative and reproducible evidence. With reference to studies of AFR-based interventions, the authors argue that increasing evidence and technical expertise are necessary but at times contradictory and do not in isolation lead to optimally accountable, fair and sustainable solutions. Technical experts, politicians, managers, service providers, community members, and beneficiaries each have their own values, expertise and preferences, to be considered for necessary buy in and sustainability. They suggest that legitimacy, accountability and fairness do not come about without an inclusive and agreed process guidance that can reconcile differences of opinion and differences in evidence to arrive at a decision.