This brief aims to inform policy dialogue on the protection of health in extractive industries (EIs) in the mining sector in east and southern Africa (ESA). It outlines on pages 5-7 a proposal for a ‘Regional guidance on minimum standards for the duties and responsibilities of parties in the extractive sector for health and social protection’. EIs play a key economic role, but also bring health, environmental and social risks. International codes and guidance exist on the duties of corporate actors to control these risks and contribute to health. ESA country laws provide for some health protection in EIs, but all have gaps in legal provisions. In line with the intentions of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and other regional economic communities, standards and laws for the sector should be harmonised and brought in line with international standards. The proposal for regional guidance draws clauses from current laws in ESA countries, suggesting the feasibility of their wider application across the region.
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An open letter from Trisha Greenhalgh et al. to the editors of the British Medical Journal (BMJ) triggered wide debate by health policy and systems researchers globally on the inadequate recognition of the value of qualitative research and the resulting deficit in publishing papers reporting on qualitative research. One key dimension of equity in health is that researchers are able to disseminate their findings and that they are taken into account in a fair and just manner, so that they can inform health policy and programmes. While the 170 researcher cosignatories to this paper work on different aspects of health systems, all feel that more serious recognition of the value of qualitative research is required, including to disseminate evidence and contribute voice to advance equity in health. The researchers are particularly disenchanted by a general experience of the limited and often inadequate publication of qualitative research in the major health and medical journals, and the resultant loss of important insights for those working in, or concerned with, health services and systems, including around clinical decision-making. The article reports on the value of qualitative research to health systems and the ways it should be given greater profile in research publications.
The East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC) will host the
10th Best Practices Forum and 26th Directors Joint Consultative Committee from 10 to 12 April 2017 in Arusha, Tanzania. The theme is Promoting Multi-Sectoral Collaboration for Health through Sustainable Development Goals. The Conference will address its Theme through the following sub-themes:
1. Good Governance and Leadership Practices in the Health sector
2. Mitigating the Impact of emerging and re-emerging diseases.
3. Multi-Sectoral responses to Non-communicable Diseases.
4. Accountability for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent Health post-2015
The ECSA-HC is inviting abstracts of best practices and scientific papers that are relevant to the conference sub themes. The scientific papers and best practices should consist of case studies and evidence based programme experiences that are innovative, unique or have added value and new thinking in health. The abstracts and scientific papers will form the basis for the recommendations that will be presented to the Health Ministers for further deliberation and adoption as resolutions. Further information is available on the website. EQUINET has a formal association with ECSA HC and will be represented at the meeting.
This three hour participatory skills session discussed methods/ tools to build learning from action as a key element of participatory action research (PAR) and briefly the implications for what this means for an understanding of ‘resilience’ in health systems. It was held as a satellite session at the 2016 Global Symposium on Health Systems Research. The session drew on approaches and experience from Africa, Latin America and participants globally to discuss the methods/tools, their application and their integration in health systems. It integrated input from two rounds of moderated discussion on these questions held on the pra4equity list prior to the Global Symposium. The EQUINET,TARSC, AHPSR, WHO, IDRC Methods Reader on PAR was also distributed. The session was attended by 62 delegates from all regions of the world.
This document provides the detailed legal frameworks and relevant legal clauses from 16 East and Southern African countries for Diss paper 108: Corporate responsibility for health in the extractive sector in East and Southern Africa (ESA) produced by EQUINET through Training and Research Support Centre to inform policy dialogue to improve the legal frameworks for the duties and corporate social responsibility of extractive industries in the ESA region.
While international and global guidance documents set out health obligations for extractive industries (EIs), these standards, including UN conventions, may be voluntary if they are not included in national laws, unless the national constitutions specifically provide otherwise. Given the spread of EIs across the ESA region, it would be important to ensure that corporate duties in relation to health are upheld across the region, including through regional guidance to harmonise laws. This document was produced by EQUINET through Training and Research Support Centre and with support from Medico International. It aims to inform policy dialogue to improve the legal frameworks for the duties and corporate social responsibility of EIs in the ESA region. It presents evidence to support policy dialogue and health advocacy. It reviews the literature on EIs and health in ESA countries, explores key guidance principles/ standards on health in EIs, and analyses from review of laws how far they are contained in domestic legislation of ESA countries. Using good practice in existing ESA laws and international guidance, the document proposes the content for regional guidance for policy and law in the region. As is being implemented in other regions of Africa, there is scope for regional guidance and harmonisation of laws relating to EIs, including in relation to health. While no single law in ESA countries addresses all aspects of international guidance on protection and health and social welfare in EIs, in combination the laws in ESA countries provide clauses that could form the basis of such regional guidance. Drawing from different ESA laws legal guidance is proposed for health and social protection covering: 1. Award of prospecting rights/licenses and EI agreements; 2. Resettlement of affected communities due to mining activities; 3. OHS for employed workers and contractors in the mining sector; 4. Health benefits for workers, families and surrounding communities; 5. Environment, health and social protection for surrounding communities; 6. Fiscal contributions towards health and health services; 7. Stimulation of forward and backward links with local sectors and services supporting health; 8. Post-mine closure obligations for public health; and for 9. Governance of these issues, including for good corporate governance practices, public transparency and accountability, constructive dialogue, reporting and oversight, to foster a relationship of confidence and mutual trust between EIs and the societies in which they operate.
This brief discusses the strategies used for attracting and retaining skilled health workers in ESA countries, especially to address under-served rural and remote areas, primary care settings and in the public sector. It reviews practice to date and identifies strategic options, given both regional learning and the opportunity of the 2016 Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health. Whereas ESA countries have implemented various attraction and retention regimes, the results have not been well documented, with still limited evaluation and reporting of impact of these strategies. The evidence suggests a need for a comprehensive, multi-sectoral and co-ordinated approach to planning and implementation, to make the case for improved funding and with greater use of information and monitoring systems.
This participatory skills session convened under the umbrella of the pra4equity network is being held at the Heath System Global Conference. In the session we will discusses methods and tools to build learning from action as a key element of participatory action research, directly engaging affected communities to build responsive health systems. The session draws on approaches and experience from Africa, Latin America and participants globally to discuss the methods/tools, their application and their integration in health systems. From prior global symposia, methods for learning from action were identified as weak in PAR practice. This session seeks to address this gap. It is targeted at researchers and practitioners. It uses methods resources and group discussions of case studies from health managers, policy actors, civil society and researchers in low and middle income countries to discuss the participatory processes and methods for learning from action at different levels, and the issues in applying and institutionalising these methods. We will also review what these participatory efforts to transform and build knowledge on health systems implies for the understanding of ‘resilience’. As the places are limited if you will be in Vancouver on the 15th November morning and would like to participate in this skills session please can you notify on the email shown with your name, institution and a line or two on any prior PAR experience.
This participatory skills session convened under the umbrella of the pra4equity network is being held at the Heath System Global Conference. In the session we will discusses methods and tools to build learning from action as a key element of participatory action research, directly engaging affected communities to build responsive health systems. The session draws on approaches and experience from Africa, Latin America and participants globally to discuss the methods/tools, their application and their integration in health systems. From prior global symposia, methods for learning from action were identified as weak in PAR practice. This session seeks to address this gap. It is targeted at researchers and practitioners. It uses methods resources and group discussions of case studies from health managers, policy actors, civil society and researchers in low and middle income countries to discuss the participatory processes and methods for learning from action at different levels, and the issues in applying and institutionalising these methods. We will also review what these participatory efforts to transform and build knowledge on health systems implies for the understanding of ‘resilience’. As the places are limited if you will be in Vancouver on the 15th November morning and would like to participate in this skills session please can you notify on the email shown with your name, institution and a line or two on any prior PAR experience.
This brief discusses the strategies used for attracting and retaining skilled health workers in ESA countries, especially to address underserved rural and remote areas, primary care settings and in the public sector. It reviews practice to date and identifies strategic options, given both regional learning and the opportunity of the 2016 Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health. Whereas ESA countries have implemented various attraction and retention regimes, the results have not been well documented, with still limited evaluation and reporting of impact of these strategies. The evidence suggests a need for a comprehensive, multi-sectoral and co-ordinated approach to planning and implementation, to make the case for improved funding and with greater use of information and monitoring systems.