PHM marches on: From Dhaka to Geneva to Porto Alegre !
Geneva, 17th May 2002
PHM marches on: From Dhaka to Geneva to Porto Alegre !
The People's Health Movement (PHM) will carry out a series of actions in the coming year to force national governments and international
bodies to put 'Health for All' at the center of their policies.
Delegates from around the world attending a PHM caucus here warned that failure by the World Health Organization to change its current
corporate-friendly health strategies will be met with serious resistance by grassroots health movements all over the world. The PHM
caucus discussed plans to mobilize large numbers of activists to gather in Geneva by May 2003 to hold a People's Health Assembly parallel to
the WHO's official World Health Assembly.
Significantly, the PHM has also decided to participate in a big way at the third World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil in February, 2003.
Such participation will enable the PHM to spread the message of the People's Charter for Health (adopted at the People's Health Assembly,
Dhaka 2000) to other social forces around the world demanding global justice and protesting the ill effects of neo-liberal economic
policies.
It was also decided to intensify the PHM activities at the national level with work ranging from awareness building to political action
across different sectors of society. National, regional and international circles of the PHM have initiated social action research
and documentation to clearly expose the bankruptcy of the WHO's current approach to healthcare.
The PHM demands the inclusion of people's organizations in the WHO's policy making process. PHM believes that this alone will help to make
their policies more realistic and effective.
The delegates of the People's Health Movement (PHM) from Asia, Africa, Americas, Australia and Europe who are attending a PHM caucus at
Geneva (to coincide with the World Health Assembly -13th -17th May 2002) strongly condemn the state-sponsored massacres of civilians in
the occupied territories of Palestine.
The PHM condemns the violence perpetuated against civilians, particularly children and women. This should be considered a crime
against humanity. The health community has been targeted systematically for attack and their humanitarian work obstructed. This constitutes a
grave violation of fundamental humanitarian principles and conventions. The PHM also condemns the random suicide attacks carried out against
Israeli civilians and other acts of violence.
In Palestine, health services and the basic infrastructure have been destroyed and will take years to rebuild. The PHM calls upon the health
community in particular, and the people of the world in general to speak out against such aggression against civilians and to assist in
initiatives to rebuild the shattered lives of the victims.
The PHM demands the release of the Palestinian and Israeli peace activists who are under detention. It extends its solidarity to the
ongoing peace efforts by peace activists in Palestine and Israel.
The delegates of the People's Health Movement also strongly condemn the state-sponsored massacres of civilians in the western Indian state of
Gujarat. The PHM expresses their concern over the fragile and inhumane conditions in which the victims of the violence are staying and demands
immediate humanitarian assistance and comprehensive rehabilitation.
Dr. Qasem Choudhury Dr. Ravi Narayan
Co-ordinator, People's Health Assembly Convenor, PHA- WHA circle
For details, call PHA media team : Dr. Unnikrishnan PV / Satya Sivaraman :
Mobile: +41 78 876 5437 Geneva Mobile: +91 98450 91319 (India)
Maria Hamlin Zuniga, Nicaragua
Sarah Shannon, USA
Dr. Christiane Fischer, Germany : +49 162 811 6377
Dr. Zafrullah Choudhury, Bangladesh
Florian Suriel, Germany : ( fstriel@gmx.de)
Ellen Verhuel, Netherlands
Dr. Uday Kumar, India
Dorothy Logie, UK
Mike Rowson, UK : ++47 7703 214469
Prem John, India
Dr. Thelma Narayan, India.
Joel Fernandes, SriLanka
Mwajuma S Masaiganah, Tanzania
Dr. Manoj Kurien, Malaysia
AHM Nouman, Bangladesh
Shirina Parvin, Bangladesh
Pam Zinkin, UK
Dr. K Balasubramaniam, Sri Lanka : +94 1 554353
Dr. Laila Parveen Banu, Bangladesh
Alifia Chakera, Australia: +44 (0) 795 027 3945
Sr. Ani C Wihbey, Brazil
Inez Azevedo, Switzerland. +41 22 700 4920
Prof. David Sanders, South Africa (dsanders@nwc.ac.za)
Satya Sivaraman, Thailand. (satyasagar@yahoo.com)
Dr. Unnikrishnan PV, India : +91 98450 91319 (unnikru@yahoo.com)
PHA Coordinating Group :
Asian Community Health Action Network (ACHAN) *
Consumers International Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (CIROAP ) *
Dag Hammarskjold Foundation (DHF) *
Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK) *
Health Action International - Asia Pacific (HAIAP) *
International People's Health Council (IPHC) *
Third World Network (TWN) *
Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR)
