Porto Alegre (Brazil) to host the PEOPLE’S HEALTH ASSEMBLY- 2 in July
2004
People's Health Movement
International People's Health Council
ALAMES - Asociacion Latinoamericana de Medicina Social
Urgent Press Release: Porto Alegre (Brazil) - 26th January 2003
Health Movements to amplify their fight for health for all now!
Porto Alegre (Brazil) - 26th January 2003
Porto Alegre, the Brazilian city that has become a venue for pro-justice movements for the past few years through the World Social Forums, is all set to host another global event - the People’s Health Assembly-2 (PHA-2). This was announced here by a cross section of the representatives of the health movement like the People’s Health Movement (PHM), International People’s Health Council (IPHC) and Asociacion Latinoamericana de Medicina Social (ALAMES).
PHA-2, scheduled for July 2004, is expected to generate massive mobilisation world wide and will bring hundreds of grass root / village health workers, health activists, medical professionals, leading voluntary agencies, media and other civil society members together to Porto Alegre. The event will strengthen the health movement worldwide, especially in Latin America and amplify the struggle for Health for all Now!
In a crucial decision taken during the ongoing World Social Forum and the Health Forum (that was held in this city earlier this week), the health activists reiterated their commitment to fight for a just world- a world that they feel should reduce the existing gap between the rich and the poor, the sick and healthy, peace and conflicts. “Health for all Now is our key demand. This means that we need to fight for this at various levels. We will be using various strategies for this” said a spokesperson. Organizations and networks working on health are putting efforts through a series of campaigns and other activities to call the global attention to make health for all now a reality.
The decision to hold this global event (PHA-2) in this city in July 2004 comes at a crucial moment when the health situation in the world is worsening. The first People’s Health Assembly (PHA) was held in a village atmosphere in Savar, a place located 30 kilometers away from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The first PHA, held in December 2000, was a historic moment for the health movement and galvanized thousands of people in over 100 countries. Over 1500 representatives from nearly 100 countries assembled in Bangladesh for the PHA.
The deliberations during the Health Forum and the World Social Forum came down heavily on the World Trade Organization (WTO), World Bank (WB) and International Monetory Fund (IMF). Presentations pointed out how these trade and financial organizations have managed to shape the policies of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other UN bodies that once used to put health as the central theme.
“The WTO, WB and the IMF have managed to put profit before people in institutions like the WHO” said a PHM spokesperson. “This is bad for the health of the people, especially the poor. This trend must be stopped and reversed and we are committed to fight for this,” he added. “In the next 24 hours, over 30,000 children will die from preventable diseases on our planet earth, lives that the WHO promised to save through their Alma Ata declaration (1978) that promised Health for all by the year 2000” says a recent communiqué from the PHM.
The three days long Health Forum (2nd International Forum for the Advocacy of People’s Health as an Essential Human Need)
also came out with “Final declaration of the 2nd International Forum on the defense of the health of the people” - a collective statement that calls for collective strategies and proposals. “It is necessary to build proposals and a process that will ensure a spirit of sharing and collective action at all
levels - grass roots, municipal, national level and at international levels. Efforts in the coming months will culminate in Porto Alegre in July 2004 for the second People’s Health Assembly / First World Forum on Health” says the declaration.
The PHA-1 was a turning point in the history of the health movements word wide. For example, the People’s Health Movement (PHM) was launched during the PHA. The goal of the PHM is to re-establish health and equitable development as top priorities in local, national and international policy-making, with comprehensive primary health care as the strategy to achieve these priorities.
PHM aims to draw on and support people’s movements in their struggles to build long-term and sustainable solutions to health problems. One of the outcomes of the PHA 2000 is the People’s Charter for Health, the largest consensus document on health.
The Health movement has been making their presence felt (with limited success) in the major global events like the World Social forum, European Social forum and the Asian Social Forum. Health, the PHM says has not been receiving adequate attention form various quarters. PHM and their allies like ALEMES will be putting efforts to place health as a central issue for social movements and events.
The Health Forum and various deliberations by the health movement during the WSF expressed serious concerns over the threat of a war on Iraq: “STOP THE WAR ON IRAQ- A war on Iraq will lead to a health and humanitarian crisis. It is disastrous for the people of the world” says a joint statement.
Maria Hamlin Zuniga, International People’s Health Council
Armando De Negri Filho, Asociacion Latinoamericana de medicina social
Unnikrishnan PV, People’s Health Movement
For media enquiries
Mobile: Local in Porto Alegre (Jan 19th till 28th)
+55 51 811 64082 (Dial 811 64082 / 971 0855 / 9649 9331 from Porto Alegre)
E-mail: unnikru@yahoo.com
For PHM media enquiries (permanent contacts):
India: Dr. Unnikrishnan PV
+91 (0) 0 91319 : unnikru@yahoo.com
London: Andrew Chetley, London
+44 20 7539 1591 chetley.a@healthlink.org.uk
Thailand: Satya Sivaraman
E-mail: satyasagar@yahoo.com
PHM
Secretariat; 367 - ‘Srinivasa Nilaya’; Jakkasandra I Main, I Block, Koramangala, Bangalore – 560 034, India. (Ph: +91 (80) 553 15 18; Fax: +91 (0) 80 552 53 72 ; Email :
sochara@vsnl.com ~ www.phmovement.org
IPHC
Apartado # -6152, Managua, Nicaragua
telfax; (505) 266 2225
E-mail: info@iphcglobal.org
~ www.iphcglobal.org
ALEMES
Rua Anita Garibaldi, No 834: Department 202; Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. CEP 90 450 000
Ph: +55 51 99710855 or +55 51 3289 2833
E-mail: armandon@portoweb.com.br
