The theme of the third national conference of peer education, HIV and AIDS, is 'Stigma, lets act now'. The conference will bring together participants from diverse peer education groups in Kenya and the region, and organisations implementing different aspects of HIV and AIDS, treatment, care and support.
Jobs and Announcements
A short video is now available on the website of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Health Workforce Alliance. In it, Dr Omaswa refers to the first Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, to be held in Kampala , Uganda , on 2-7 March 2008. This conference is a remarkable and unique opportunity to bring together all those who are working to meet the needs of health workers in developing countries - whether our focus is on Skills, Equipment, Information, Structural support, Medicines, Incentives, and/or Communication facilities. Together participants can "plan and build a global movement to ensure that every person in every village everywhere has access to a skilled, motivated and supported health worker". The Forum meshes well with current movements to revitalize primary health care on the 60th anniversary of WHO, 30 years after Alma Ata. It promises to be an exciting and critical next step for achieving global goals and re-energising the global movement for better health in the 21st century. It is also an opportunity for HIFA2015 and CHILD2015 members to meet up.
This new program approaches health outcomes from the demand side through a multisectoral perspective, looking into mechanisms such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), and Sector Wide Approaches (SWAPs). The course underscores the different roles necessary at each different sector for a multisectoral approach, the need for coordination at the central level, and also alignment of donors with national processes - especially budgets - to ensure harmonization. This course will build capacity for developing multisectoral health outcome strategies, emphasizing that better effective interventions, actions and policies exist and that adaptation to the country situation is critical. The application deadline is 22 February 2008.
The seminar series aims to provide a forum where cutting-edge research and ideas on innovation, access to knowledge and intellectual property, from a development perspective, are presented and debated. Speakers are researchers and policy analysts especially from the South who focus their work on key issues for developing countries and the international community more generally. The seminar series plays an important role in linking local/national circumstances and challenges, and the norm-setting activities in various international institutions and process. By engaging negotiators and key players in international processes, the seminars will also contribute to promoting evidence-based norm-setting in key institutions such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), among other organisations and processes.
The Innovation and Access to Knowledge Programme (IAKP) of the South Centre seeks applicants for a 12 month Research Fellowship in Innovation, Public Health and Intellectual Property. Applicants should send their applications indicating their interest and highlighting their relevant qualifications and experience as well as detailed CVs, letter of interest, references, preferably by email, by 18h00 Central European Time (CET) on 14 December 2007 to: Ms. Caroline Ngome Eneme, Administrative Assistant, Innovation and Access to Knowledge Programme, South Centre, Chemin du Champ D’Anier 17, P.O.B. 228, 1211 Genev
Participants are encouraged to submit abstracts that present concrete and innovative projects, case studies, and direct field/personal experiences relevant to the improvement of global access to health, and more specifically the 2008 theme: ‘Strengthening of Health Systems and the Global Health Workforce’. Preference will be given to abstracts that promote systemic approaches to the problems posed. Abstracts must fall under one of the following categories: Health Services Delivery Equity and Social Issues Patient- and People-Centred Initiatives The Global Health Workforce and Migration Health Research and Policy Health Financing The Role of Universities, Hospitals, and Training Institutions Health Technologies, Health Information, and Biotech Medicines, Vaccines, and Diagnosis. The deadline for submission of abstracts is 15 January 2008.
This analysis has been developed keeping in mind the responsibilities of States, many of its elements are also instructive in relation to the responsibilities of non-State actors, including pharmaceutical companies. The draft Guidelines are grouped into overlapping categories; at the beginning of each group, there is a brief italicised commentary signalling some of the elements of the right-to health analysis that are especially relevant to that category. Importantly, the present Guidelines remain a draft. Comments on this draft are invited and should be sent as soon as possible - and before 31 December 2007.
A call is now made for submission of abstracts for presentation during the First Global Forum on Human Resources for Health. The abstracts should present experiences, lessons learnt and/or other intriguing new information that contribute to the achievement of the forum objectives and should be developed under any of the following Forum Themes: Leadership Education, Training and Skill mix, Migration and Retention, Financing, Management, Partnerships and linking up for action. Abstracts should be submitted to the Forum Organizing Committee (FOC)via email by 31 December 2007.
Sur Journal welcomes contributions to be published in a Special Issue of Sur – International Journal on Human Rights on Intellectual Property and access to medicine. The Journal aims at disseminating a Global Southern perspective on human rights and to facilitate exchange among professors and activists from the Global South without disregarding contributions from other regions. For the next issue, they will prioritize articles which, preferentially but not exclusively, address the following topics related to the debate of intellectual property and access to medicine: Alternative models to stimulate innovation; The impact of Intellectual Property on medicines for neglected diseases; Implications of the adoption of compulsory licenses; Best practices on guaranteeing access to medicine; The Judiciary role in the promotion of access to medicine. Closing date for submissions is 3 December 2007.
The Acacia and Connectivity Africa Initiative goals are to empower sub Saharan communities with the capacity to apply information and communication technologies to their own social and economic development and to improve access to information and communication technologies in Africa, particularly in the sectors of education, health, agriculture and community development. This initiative is designed as an integrated program of research and development with demonstration projects that address issues of applications, technology, infrastructure, policy, and governance. Based at the IDRC head office in Ottawa, Canada, the Program Manager directs the overall development and implementation of its strategic and operating plans and establishes contact with national and international agencies and governments to: develop new partnerships and strengthen existing ones; strengthen and increase fundraising and donor support; and to work towards the achievement of the CCA’s programmatic objectives. The closing date for applications is 18 November 2007.