East and South Africa IPHU Online course on Democratising Global Health Governance

The East and South Africa Regional Coordination of the People’s Health Movement (PHM) is pleased to announce International People's Health University (IPHU) short online course on Democratising Global Health Governance (GHG): “Local Strategies for Global Health: How Grassroots Mobilisation and Advocacy can Contribute to Democratising Global Health Governance”

The IPHU short course will be held from 11th September 2024 and 23rd October 2024 in weekly sessions every Wednesday.

PHM has proposed a series of regional IPHUs around Global Health Governance as a strategy to strengthen the articulation between our global and our local activism as a movement and to deepen and broaden our understanding of GHG, encompassing the political economy of capitalism and imperialism and the geopolitics of intergovernmental relations. 

Global health governance extends well beyond the technical debates about particular health issues and services in the World Health Assembly of the World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO is not the only or the determining authority in this complex field, but it has some influence and watching WHO provides a window through which to follow the wider structures and dynamics of global health governance. Additionally, PHM has engaged closely with WHO and its governing bodies since May 2001 with our first delegation to Geneva and hopes to share that experience with other activists.

Objectives
The objectives of the workshop are to:

•  explore the interplay between community activism around local health issues and the challenges of
  global engagement;
• introduce PHM activists to PHM’s WHO Watch program;
• review key issues addressed in the recent World Health Assembly; explore the local and regional
  implications of those issues and identify local and regional priorities for engagement;
• explore the potential outcomes and challenges involved in policy engagement with government officials
  regarding their policy positions on current issues of international debate;
• develop our policy analysis, policy development and policy advocacy skills; and
• identify local and regional priorities and plan for priority actions.
   

Who is the workshop planned for?

• The total enrolment will be limited to 30 participants.
• Priority, with respect to enrolment, will be given to young health activists particularly those involved or wish to be involved in the People's Health Movement (PHM), including activists in organizations affiliated with PHM
• The enrolment policy aims to achieve:
• geographical mix,
• gender balance,
• diversity of involvements, and
• diversity of skills, interests, experience, and backgrounds.
   

Workshop Agenda (More details)
The workshop agenda will comprise six topics over six weeks:

1. WHO Watch: process, experience, outcomes,
2. About WHO: history, structures, functions, governance,
3. Global health governance: the wider environment of forces,
4. PHM’s ‘theory of change’ in its GHG work,
5. Policy and advocacy skills,
6. Watching the Regional Committees of WHO.
 

Each topic will include:

• introduction to the topic,
• a set of learning objectives,
• a reading program and suggested exercise/s,
• a webinar discussion.

Approach

The workshop will be resourced by experienced PHM activists from the region including activists with
experience as WHO Watchers in Geneva. The workshop will be taught in English.
 

Application and Deadline

Course period: Orientation session on 11th Sept. Main sessions on 18th Sept, 25th Sept, 2nd Oct, 9th Oct, 16th Oct, 23rd Oct 2024.

Apply online at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfpftiKkvuKOAuaN9AIJz4K8a-zAdCti0Z2t6gHArbEFIEE1Q/viewform 

• Deadline for applications: 3rd Sept 2024
• All applicants will be advised of the outcome of their application. If you face difficulty in filling the
  google form, please contact deepika[at]phmovement[dot]org or anneleen[at]phm-sa[dot]org
• Please make sure that you will be available to join orientation session on 11th Sept and all six sessions on 18th Sept, 25th Sept, 2nd Oct, 9th Oct, 16th Oct, 23rd Oct 2024 (Wednesdays, every 7 days) at 3 PM South Africa time. Kindly ensure you have a good internet connection to be able to attend this online course. The course does not have any registration fees.
• Certificates will be provided to students who complete the course and attend all 6 sessions.
• Contacts: For enquiries please contact the organizing Team at: deepika[at]phmovement[dot]org or
  <anneleen[at]phm-sa[dot]org> or <peninahkhisa[at]gmail[dot]com
•  

Study Program: https://phmovement.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/ESA%20Regional%20IPHU-GHG%20Study%20Guide%202024.pdf 

For more details on PHM's IPHU programme, please read here- https://phmovement.org/iphu

For more details on PHM's Global Health Governance (GHG) programme, please read here- https://phmovement.org/global-health-governance