The Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) is a people-centred approach used by non-governmental organisations and researchers to identify the main constraints and opportunities faced by poor people, as expressed by the people themselves. It consists of a framework and a set of guiding principles that aim to protect and foster the resources and livelihood assets of poor people, such as their natural resources, technologies, skills, knowledge, capacity, health, access to education, sources of credit and their networks of social support. The approach is intended to help stakeholders to navigate the complex reality of the development context and ensure people are at the centre of development. Some critiques of SLA point to its limitations in dealing adequately with some issues such as power, gender and governance, and many in the development sector incorrectly assume that SLA is only relevant at the micro level. At the sixth and final seminar on Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches (SLAs), taking place at the Institute of Development Studies on 26 January 2011, you can take part in the online debate. Some directions for debate include what the future holds for SLAs, how SLAs are relevant to current development challenges and how SLAs need to adapt, as well as research, policy and practical implications for the future. To register, please email the seminar administrator at the address provided.
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This conference will consider the link between and contributions of the social sciences and humanities to HIV research and action. The International Association of HIV Social Scientists, which is organising the event, argues that social science emphasises a critical, reflexive stance and willingness to confront the social, ethical, and political dimensions of scientific investigations of the HIV epidemic, which has made it instrumental in successful HIV prevention efforts such as the normalisation of condom use against sexual transmission and the introduction of safe injecting equipment for injecting drug use. Social scientific research has also provided insights into issues related to the treatment and care of people living with HIV and AIDS, and has addressed the broader social and political barriers to effective responses to HIV. Yet there have been few forums in which scholars from different social science and humanities disciplines can come together to develop connections among the various phenomena we study, and between ourselves and our biomedical, policy and community based colleagues. This conference is a forum for those keen to extend the scope of the social sciences and its capacity to trace connections between all kinds of phenomenon, notably those that contribute to the complexity and changing nature of the epidemic. Themes include: treatment as prevention, HIV and the body, social epidemiology and social networks, global politics, and responsibility and risk governance, as well as new directions for HIV and AIDS treatment.
This symposium considers infectious diseases in Africa, including bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic diseases, which comprise a major cause of death, disability, and social and economic disruption for millions of people in Africa’s developing countries. This conference will aim to look at the borderless effect of infection, its impact on children and the importance of intervention. International speakers will talk about how to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases and discuss new diagnostics vaccines and drug treatments.
The Second Conference of the African Health Economics and Policy Association (AfHEA) will be held in Saly Portudal (Palm Beach), Senegal from 15-17 March 2011. The overall theme of this conference is ‘Toward universal health coverage in Africa’. Universal coverage is understood to mean providing financial protection against health care costs for all, as well as ensuring access to quality health care for all when needed.
The Second Global Forum on Human Resources for Health is intended to build upon the successes achieved in the previous Global Forum, held in 2010 in Kampala, and will provide a platform to review progress made in fulfilling the commitments outlined in the Kampala Declaration and the Agenda for Global Action. It will be an opportunity to further galvanise and accelerate the global movement on human resources for health (HRH) towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals and Universal Health Coverage. Expected outcomes include sustaining the global movement on HRH and sharing of knowledge and experiences and measuring the progress made since Kampala through concrete examples of global and country actions. The Forum will also be expected to find strategies for coping with new and emerging issues and challenges in HRH.
The Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) has decided that its 128th session should be convened on 17 January 2011, at WHO headquarters, Geneva, and should close no later than 25 January 2011. The Board further decided that the thirteenth meeting of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the Executive Board should be held on 13 and 14 January 2011, at WHO headquarters.
The Best Practices in Global Health Award is given annually by the Global Health Council to celebrate and highlight the efforts of a public health practitioner or organisation dedicated to improving the health of disadvantaged and disenfranchised populations, and to recognise the programmes that effectively demonstrate the links between health, poverty and development. The person or organisation selected for this award must be able to demonstrate the success of their programme(s) and measurable results in the field, as well as possess the ability and expertise to share, inspire and extend best practices for improving health. If you would like to nominate someone, visit the website address given.
The Canadian International Development Agency’s (CIDA) Partnerships with Canadians Branch (PWCB) is launching a C$75 million call for projects over $500,000 to take a comprehensive and integrated approach to address maternal, newborn, and child health, under its Partners for Development Programme. Projects must align with the elements and principles of Canada's contribution to the Muskoka Initiative, which will focus its efforts along three key paths: strengthening health systems to improve health service delivery at the district level by training more health workers and expanding access for mothers and children to needed health care facilities and interventions; improving nutrition by increasing access to healthy and nutritious food and needed nutritional supplements that help reduce mortality; and addressing the leading diseases and illnesses that are killing mothers and their children. Projects must be implemented in eligible countries with high rates of maternal and child mortality. Eligible countries in the East, Central and Southern African region are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This call will fund projects from Canadian organisations in partnership with organisations in developing countries.
Funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by the Netherlands Organizations for International Co-operation in Higher Education (NUFFIC), the Netherlands Fellowship Programme is an opportunity for non-governmental organisations, governmental and private organisations in developing countries to build their capacity. The overall aim of the NFP is to help alleviate qualitative and quantitative shortages of skilled staff within a wide range of governmental, private and non-governmental organizations by offering fellowships to mid-career professionals to improve the capacity of the organizations they work for. The need for training has to be evident within the context of an organisation. Candidates from Sub-Saharan Africa, women and members of priority groups and marginalised regions are specifically invited to apply for an NFP fellowship. The NFP offers several sub-programmes. Each sub-programme has a separate section on the Fellowship Programme’s website, with information about eligibility criteria, application and selection and deadlines (if applicable). Sub-programmes include short courses, master’s degrees and PhD studies.
The threat from counterfeit and sub-standard medicines is growing, particularly in poorer countries with weak regulatory mechanisms and poorly monitored distribution networks. Counterfeiting can be very profitable, and counterfeiters are increasingly sophisticated, making patients in developing countries, who usually have to buy medicines from their own resources, particularly vulnerable. The Centre on Global Health Security is organising this roundtable meeting, the objective of which is to help refine definitions of counterfeit, falsified and substandard medicines and to consider possible ways forward for the international community in addressing the health hazards posed by these medicines. Participants will include senior representatives from concerned international organisations, governments, industry, academia and civil society.