Health Equity

 To:  African Heads of State during the AU Summit July 2010

14-15 May 2010
Geneva, Switzerland

• Download the Background Note in PDF here.
• Download the Statement in PDF here.
• Download the Workshop Program and Presentations in PDF here.

Representatives of a range of civil society organizations working in health met over two days in Geneva, 14-15 May 2010, to review current structures of global health governance; consider possible directions for reform and adopt strategies for driving such reform.

The discussion of governance issues was shaped by concerns for deepening inequalities and by an awareness of the harm and future dangers of the food, financial and climate crises.

The meeting recognized GHG as a sub-domain of global governance and strongly shaped by economic policy priorities, rather than an autonomous domain of governance, responding primarily to health needs and considerations. The meeting reviewed the contemporary global governance of: human resources for health, trade and health, social determinants, primary health care and health care financing.  In each case the presentations and plenary discussion sought to:

Australia and New Zealand announced in 2009 that they were commencing negotiations with 14 Pacific island countries for a new trade agreement to be called PACER-Plus. This new agreement would replace existing trade arrangements in the region.

PACER-Plus has the potential to enhance or jeopardise health and health care in the Pacific island countries. The current negotiations provide the opportunity to get it right, to promote economic development in the Pacific, to progress Health for All, and make progress towards realising the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Published in SUNS #6915 dated 30 April 2010

Geneva, 29 Apr (Kanaga Raja) -- Civil society organizations have praised a recent decision by the Ecuadorian government to issue its first compulsory license for lopinavir/ritonavir, a key medication in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Welcoming the move by Ecuador, the civil society groups called on other governments in the Latin American region to use compulsory licenses and parallel importation to improve access to essential medicines.

Published in SUNS #6911 dated 26 April 2010

Geneva, 23 Apr (Kanaga Raja) -- The United States has been using trade agreements, foreign aid, technical assistance and diplomatic pressure to promote intellectual property and pharmaceutical regulations that restrict access to affordable medicines in developing countries, health advocacy organizations have said.

In a submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council this week, the health advocacy groups said that the US move is coming at the expense of human rights.

Examining the World’s Health from an Alternative Perspective

The Global Health Watch provides a platform for activists to share experiences and inform each other with practical examples and theoretical analyses to strengthen local, national, regional and global campaigns towards Health for All!

Read and download the Right to Health and Health Care Campaign (RTHHC) reports:

• Uruguay (in English), also see here.
• Cameroon (in French)
• Togo (in French)

Inspired by the success of the First Annual South Los Angeles Health and Human Rights Conference last June, PHM-US  is helping to launch a Bay Area health and human rights learning circle. We will meet for several months to use articles, personal experience, and other forms of media to learn more about the health and human rights approach, hoping to build and strengthen a community of allies.

It is time again to give an update where the campaign has gone since the middle of last year.

Kenya has joined the campaign and will be funded shortly. Djibouti has sent a plan and is reworking its budget. Togo got funding to hold its workshop to present the assessment results and prepare an action plan. Cameroun has sent a plan for the same workshop and is reworking its budget for that. Benin has promised a plan for the workshop shortly. Morocco did an assessment of the RTH --without PHM funding-- and sent us a copy. Ecuador worked on RTH wording for the new national Constitution. India is successfully carrying out a community based monitoring of the RTH. Guatemala has completed the assessment and we are expecting the report. Liberia recently contacted us very preliminarily.

To,
The UNITAID Board Chair
Dr Philippe Douste-Blazy
Special Adviser on Innovative Financing for Development
UN Under-Secretary-General

We understand that the UNITAID’s Executive Board is to meet on 14-15th December to finalise the Patent Pool implementation plan.