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Last Update: March 14, 2005
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Background
People’s
movements across the world are working to identify and demonstrate that
the path to sustainable development and social and economic justice does
not lie in neo-liberal globalization but in alternative models for
people-centered and self-reliant progress. The World Social Forum
developed as a response of the growing international movement
questioning the neo-liberal economic policies being pursued in most
countries and imperialist globalization.
In 2001, 2002 and 2003 the World Social Forum, held in Porto Allegre,
Brazil, has explored and proposed such alternatives, and questioned the
rules of governance and investment being set by the World Economic
Forum. The people’s argument is that Another World Is Possible. It is
an argument based on both vision and reality.
In 2004, for the first time, the World Social forum moved out of Porto
Allegre, to Mumbai in India. The World Social forum in Mumbai was organized between 16-21 January, 2004. The WSF2004
focused not only on the impact but also the processes of neo-liberal
globalization that is creating a small global, ‘over-class’ and a
vast, increasingly marginalized and vulnerable under-class in every
country. Every part of the process sought to draw out people’s
perceptions regarding the impact of neo-liberal economic policies and
their attendant divisiveness on their daily lives.
In 2002 and 2003 it had been the practice to organize a “International
Forum for Defense of People’s Health” just before the World
Social Forum. In 2003 the Peoples Health Movement participated in this
forum in a modest way.
At the time of the World Health Assembly in May 2003, the Steering Group
of the Peoples Health Movement met to chalk out a calendar of activities
for the year. It was decided to take the responsibility of organizing the “IIIrd International
Forum for Defense of People’s Health” at YMCA in Mumbai on 14-15 January
2004, just prior to the organization of the World Social Forum.
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The Event
International
Forum for Defense of People’s Health was
held on January 14th and 15th 2004 at YMCA International House in Mumbai. Nearly 750
Activists from 50 countries
gathered to participate in the following events. There were
Activists, Professionals, Academics from
Health as well as non-health backgrounds as also participants from the
other streams like journalism, art etc., participated in the forum.
1. People's Health Movement Steering Group and Strategy Planning meetings:
These were held on 12th and 13th of January
prior to the International Health Forum in which the the steering and support
committee members of PHM participated. Some of the important decisions taken during
these deliberations are
a) To build the movement further and in a more regional and
decentralised way - a process of greater regional capacitation was
discussed
b) The People's Health Assembly - 2 would now be held in
Quito, Ecuador in July 2005 and not in Porto Allegre, Brazil in July
2004 as earlier decided and an idea draft of the Assembly would be put
up in these sections soon
c) It was also decided that in January 2005 the IV
International Health Forum for the Defense of People's Health would be
held before the next World Social Forum at Porto Allegre, Brazil,
concentrating on the issues concerning the Health Policies and Health
system issues
d) The PHM Global Secretariat would be shifting from Bangalore, India
to a new region by early 2005 with a transition period of nearly 3 months for the shift.
Various regions will be exploring the opportunity to host the
secretariat during this year
2. The Health Forum:
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Participation:
Nearly 700 participants from 44 countries from both health and
non-health backgrounds actively participated in the events of the
Forum. Some of the important features were the presence of
representatives from new countries like Cuba, Costa Rica etc., a
large number of the participants were less than 40 years of age. The
World Health Organization had officially sent a 5 member team (4
from WHO Geneva and 1 from the WHO SEARO office in New Delhi) as
delegates to the Forum
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Events during the
Forum: The Health Forum was characterised by diverse events with plenaries, workshops, cultural events etc., on both
the days. Testimonies and Case Studies were introduced into most of
the sessions and this way efforts were made to make the sessions
more focused on actual realities and to move towards action. The
case studies were not only focused on problems and situation
analysis but also on actions / Campaigns taken up by PHM and other
activists
b) Globalisation, Health Policies and
Health Sector Reforms
c) Health under War, Occupation and
Militarisation
d) HIV/AIDS; Confronting the Crisis
e) Women, Population policies and
violence f) Health Care and the
Marginalised
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Parallel
Workshops: 14 parallel workshops were held (7 parallel
workshops each on 14th and 15th). An
Overview:
a) Globalisation and Health Policy
b) Promoting Synergy: Towards Joint Anti -War Action
c) Learning from the Global Tobacco Control Campaign including
FCTC
d) Liberation Medicine
e) Globalisation and Health Sector Reforms
f) Health Teams for "Health for All" (Including
CHW's)
g) Traditional / Alternative Systems of Medicine (ASM) and
Primary Health Care
h) Key Issues in Women's Health
i) Voices of the Unheard - Children, Adolescents and
People with Disability
j) HIV/AIDS and the resurgence of Communicable diseases
k) Globalisation, Poverty, Hunger and Health
l) New Economics and its Impact on Medical Practice in
India
m) Social Determinants of Mental Health and PHM
n) Environmental Justice and People's Health - Confronting
toxics in our communities
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Closing Plenary: Reviving the
Spirit of Alma Ata... the Challenges before us
Please click Program for
the complete details of each of the above sessions as it
happened
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Cultural Programme: There was an
enthusiastic response from all the regions of the world to
participate in the cultural events. The events were as varied as
music and dance from the Africans, singing of the PHM Song by the
delegates from the different regions of the world, Skits and drama by a group of Activists
from Tamil Nadu, India, songs and dances from the enthusiastic
Bangladeshi delegation, magic show to expose the superstitions by
the Jana Vignana Vedike, AndhraPradesh, India. After the closing
plenary a film "Health For
All" by Dr. Pervez Imam was screened and the event concluded with a
"Song of Resistance" from Dr. Pervez Imam, India
a) Newsbrief 10 & 11 - Nov 2003 - The
Newsletter by the PHM
b) Health for All Now! Revive Alma
Ata, - An Alma Ata Anniversary book release by PHM and its
partners c)
HAI News - No. 126 July - Sept. 2003 - The Newsletter from Health Action International
d) Health For All Now! - A book
brought out by Jana Swasthya Abhiyan, PHM India
(A more detailed list would be put up soon)
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World Health Organization meets the
Civil Society: The WHO delegates, Mr. Ian Grubb, Mr. Craig McClure, Ms.
Alaka Singh, Mr. Eugenio Villar from WHO Geneva and Mr. Tej Walia
from the WHO SEARO participated in the Forum on both the days and
heard the testimonies from the grass roots. On 16th January 2004 the delegates of
the World Health Organisation had a meeting with a smaller group
of PHM members. In a candid discussion between both the sides the
apprehensions and doubts of the Civil Society and the problems
with the policies of the WHO till date including the latest 3 x 5
initiative was made clear to the WHO group. At the end of
the meeting it was decided to continue the dialogue and also to
identify the possible areas in which WHO and the PHM could work
together to bring comprehensive Primary Health Care back into Health
Policies .
3. World Social Forum: Most of the
participants of the Health Forum also participated in the World Social
Forum, an alternative platform for the neo-liberal paradigm, to be among
the nearly 123,000 people who attended the same. PHM and its associates
had organised some events at the World Social Forum. The events
consisted of 2 large Plenaries and 2 workshops under the PHM banner
b) Wars, Conflicts,
Occupation and Militarisation - The Greatest Threat to Public Health
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Workshops:
a) WTO and Access to Drugs
b) Population Policies in Third World Countries - A coercive Agenda
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Other Health
Related events in World Social Forum:
a) Gas and Natural Resources: Corporate Powers and Challenges -
PHM Bangladesh
b) Violence as a Public Health Issue - CEHAT, FME, MFC
c) Poverty in Germany - BUKO Pharma Kampagne, Germany
d) Water Rights in South Asia - Options and Challenges - PHM
Bangladesh
e) Reproductive Technologies: Implication for Women's Health - WGNRR,
SAMA et al
f) "From Rights to Actions" - WGNRR
g) Migration, Trafficking and Labour Rights - Bangladesh
Perspectives - PHM Bangladesh
h) Privatisation and Healthcare: Social Challenges in Bangladesh -
GK Savar Bangladesh
Please click Program for
the complete details of each of the above sessions as it
happened
4. Mumbai Declaration:
At the concluding session of the International Health Forum, rapporteurs
of all the 20 sessions presented the summary of each of the sessions and
an effort is made to capture the essence of each of these sessions in the Mumbai
Declaration. This Declaration was read out during the "25 Years
of Alma Ata" Session in World Social Forum by representatives of the
various regions of PHM.
Media
during the Forum
There were a number
of Press releases
released during the Forum by the PHM Media team headed by Unnikrishnan and supported by Kamayani of CEHAT and other volunteers. Also
there was a lot of Media
Coverage of the various issues raised during the event. Visit the Media
Room for a detailed report on the same.
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