A View from the Secretariat - Edition 01 - 10th Aug 2004
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Dear PHM Friends,
Greetings from People's Health Movement Global
Secretariat!
We are starting this communication initiative from the
secretariat to share with all of you a 'grand stand' view of the growing
People's Health Movement all over the world. As the hub of the PHM wheel,
which has spokes reaching to all the country and regional circles, issue
circles and PHM partners all over the world, we receive daily through email,
post, and visitors and other means of communication a very special view of
the PHM activities all over the world. We are starting this new column in
the PHM Exchange with an overview of July 2004.
This is not a comprehensive report. It is just a
communication of some highlights since nowadays, there are too many to
include. We hope it inspires you to join, support and do likewise. Please
keep the secretariat informed of any PHM related activity that you or others
initiate. And thanks to those all over the world, whose commitment has
inspired this communication.
Best wishes from the PHM Secretariat Team
PHM Global Secretariat Team
July 2004 has been a significant month for the People's
Health Movement. 44 months beyond the first People's Health Assembly at GK
Savar, Bangladesh (December 2000), the movement is beginning to evolve into
a multi-dimensional initiative at various levels - local, national, regional
and international level. Small and not so small events and processes are
taking place all over the world indicating that the PHM has come to stay and
is growing.
Thailand
The People's Charter for HIV / AIDS bringing together the
voices and concerns of a large number of PHM members and people living with
or tackling the HIV / AIDS epidemic was released at the end of the XV
International AIDS Conference on 16th July 2004. The Charter had been
finalized at a special discussion at a satellite symposium attended by
delegates and AIDS activists from many parts of the world and PHM activists
from Ecuador, Germany, India, Iran, Philippines, Palestine, Thailand, USA,
UK, Zimbabwe etc., An Asian People's Alliance for Combating HIV & AIDS (APACHA)
was formed to take this activity further. (hiv@phmovement.org)
India
The first Regional Public Hearing on the Denials of Right
to Health Care was held in Bhopal, facilitated by Jana Swasthya Abhiyan (PHM
India) in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission. 50
documented cases of denial were presented. This was part of the Right to
Health Care campaign, a major initiative launched by PHM India in 2004. (for
more details visit www.phmovement.org/india
under section 'Campaign')
Pakistan
PHM Circle in Pakistan was reinvigorated and launched
through a week's tour of Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore by the PHM Global
Coordinator and the PHM India National Convener. A series of meetings and
dialogue were held with civil society, academics and policy makers, media
and the community. The People's Health Charter translated into Urdu and
Sindhi were distributed (for more details visit www.thenetwork.org.pk/phm.htm).
USA
The US Health Care system was put on trial at the Boston
Social Forum held in July. PHM joined a host of organizations, who organized
the health track of the forum on the Theme 'Making Health a Human Right'.
Dr. Balasubramanian (Sri Lanka) , a key PHM Steering group member was on the
International Jury representing PHM. The workshop topics included Racial and
Ethnic inequities; Health care workers' struggle; Immigrant access to health
care; Global Trade - Democracy and Health; Pharmaceutical Apartheid in the
African AIDS programs; Liberation Medicine; Health consequences of WTO,
among others. Significantly the flyer of the Health Track mentioned that it
was based on the preamble to the People's Charter "Achieving optimal
Health for All means that powerful interests have to be challenged that
corporate globalization has to be opposed and that political and economical
priorities have to be drastically changed. [For more details write to Denise
Zwahlen of Doctors for Global Health, PHM at denisezwahlen@yahoo.com
and visit www.bostonsocialforum.org].
Latin America
It has become the focus of a lot of PHM Global
initiatives in the year to come. Ecuador as host of the Second People's
Health Assembly in July 2005, will host the first International PHA - II
Advisory committee meeting to start the detailed planning process in
September 2004.
In Mexico City in November 2004, PHM has been invited to
facilitate a special dialogue on role of Civil Society on Health Research
linked to the next Global Forum for Health Research Forum 8 (contact: David
Sanders at lmartin@uwc.ac.za)
In January 2005, the next International Health Forum in
Defense of People's Health will take place at Porto Alegre, Brazil, before
the World Social Forum (contact Armando - armandon@portoweb.com.br)
In July 2005, the second People's Health Assembly will be
hosted by the National Front for the Health of the People (Frente Nacional
Por la salud de los Pueblos) in collaboration with fraternal networks and
organizations. The first announcement for this has been made and the same
can be accessed on our website at the following weblink http://www.phmovement.org/pha-II
. You could write to the PHA-II secretariat at phaII@phmovement.org
Evaluation of the People's Health Movement
A report entitled 'Keeping
the promise: The People's response to Health For All' (arising out of
the evaluation of the process that led to the People's Health Assembly 2000
and the development of the PHM in the last four years) has identified
learning experiences and challenges for this movement.
Some of the highlights of the report are:
"Now in mid 2004, it is safe to begin to describe
PHM as a young, strong and growing movement, one that is drawing on a wealth
of wisdom, knowledge and experience from around the world and one that
offers hope that social change to improve people's health can be more of a
reality"
"There is now increasing dialogue and
communication among key movement focal points. Externally, there is a great
visibility of the PHM in some arenas and fora".
"There is more clarity and transparency on how
activities are funded, how funds are being shared and made to work more
effectively is combination and with complementarity".
"There has been some enhanced cooperation. Links
that are evolving with the World Social Forum, the strengthened connections
with WHO and PAHO, the development of working relationships with the Global
Equity Gauge and Medact around a global health watch process are simply a
few of the most visible positive trends."
"Enabling dialogue and discussion in a number of
forums is increasing, but there is scope for more. The Secretariat is
demonstrating leadership in this, as are some national groups. The Alma
Ata-related meetings throughout 2003 are good examples."
"Communication strategies and practices - both
internal and external - are improving. Again the Secretariat is
demonstrating leadership, but the response of many participants in the
movement to share information is becoming more evident."
"Enhanced cooperation is important so that the
PHM is visibly seen as a pro-active, inclusive and welcoming movement and is
a platform that enables people to participate, without them having to
convert to a particular belief, ideology or approach".
"Above all, the pictures they drew were a
celebration of diversity and it is that diversity that is the main strength
of the PHM. Sustaining and maintaining a diverse, flexible and effective
movement that serves as a platform for social change is the challenge that
now faces the PHM"
Best wishes
The PHM Secretariat Team
