A Newsletter of worldwide activity of Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) September 2007; Vol. 2, No. 9 Global inter-connectedness and rapidly advancing technology have spawned a whole new set of challenges and opportunities, without closing the book on the old. It is not a bad thing to be strong in some ways and fragile and vulnerable in others. There are times you hold the future in your hands. And times you trust the future to others. At some point, you realize the legacy you leave goes far beyond the financial. For you, true wealth is about helping people. It is about achieving life. In every country (and in many sub-national structures such as states and provinces), health economics plays, or should play, an important role in critical policy and operational decisions. Poverty is not new, but there are creative new strategies for addressing it. Can we work together now? I think we can. WomensHealthSection.com is a global, Web-enabled platform for multiple forms of collaborations. We invite you to tap into this platform, and finally, the governance to get the best out of this platform. With each issue of WHEC Update, we like to think we are taking our readers on a journey. Clear boundaries lead to empowerment. Empowerment is not magic. It consists of a few simple steps and a lot of persistence. One other thing: In this space we have continued to update you on our e-learning project WomensHealthSection.com. The connection between education and health has never been clearer. We bring you every month — Briefings — of various programs / projects of the UN System, exclusive interviews, online polls and more fresh surprises. The UN role in ensuring peace and security and in shaping globalization to the advantage of all people in the world has been growing. Now more than ever before, dealing with inequality and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and wider development objectives are central to global economic stability and prosperity. Decisions help us start — discipline helps us finish. The journey is the reward. You might want to fasten your seat belts. Combating maternal mortality / morbidity is a collective effort. Obstetrical fistula is a problem that can be prevented, treated and controlled. For those who are grappling with the disability, effective treatment is essential. It requires political leadership and sufficient resources — particularly for more and better birthing centers, close to their homes and close to their birthing cultures. It requires the engagement of family members and community leaders as well as health care and social workers. It requires the media and policy makers to play their part. It means reaching out to marginalized groups and ensuring they receive the care they need with healthy and happy pregnancy and childbirth. That means providing reasons to hope. Obstetrical fistula brings anguish and torment to individuals and their loved ones. It eats away at the fabric of the human being, of the family, of society. It is a subject all of us must take personally. Let us ensure there is no place for obstetrical fistula in modern obstetrics. We welcome the thoughts and suggestions on eradication of obstetrical fistulae. WomensHealthSection.com enables individuals, groups, companies, and universities anywhere in the world to collaborate — for the purposes of innovation, education, research and to advance the causes of peace, health and development. We welcome everyone. Campaigning to End Fistula Rita Luthra, MD Your Questions, Our Reply: What are the good practices in terms of shaping a foreign policy that can work to improve global health? How can foreign policy address new infectious diseases in an age of globalization and bio-terrorism? Foreign Policy and Global Health Diplomacy: the rise of health as a foreign policy concern has become a hallmark of a globalized world. Critical to global health diplomacy is the relationship between health and foreign policy. The trade and health relationship unfolds on the cutting edge of global health diplomacy and offers lessons for the health and foreign policy nexus. We need broad memberships between rich and poor countries to improve health. And rich countries need to help developing countries to make a dedicated effort with their health budget allocation. Health also belongs in the Security Council and more prominently at the World Bank. It is important to have trade agreements that do not complicate access to drugs at affordable prices, patent regulations and other trade regulations, so that poor countries have access. The cutting edge of global health diplomacy raises certain cautions regarding health’s role in trade and foreign policies. Competition among countries’ national interests sometimes impedes policy coherence, which makes attainment of health difficult. To craft health policy today, governments, international institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) must find mechanisms to manage health risks that spill into and out of every country. These endeavors create the new world of global health diplomacy. Health is a bridge builder and a key component of the development policy. The nexus of security, insecurity and health must take center stage in foreign policy thinking. To achieve global governance, we believe, a new global health forum is needed to address health. We believe capacity building is vital to health system development and is also needed to stabilize countries in order to provide security for people so they do not feel the need to migrate. About NGO Association with the UN: Chairpersons of UN Committees and their views on various issues: Hamid al Bayati, the Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations, was elected chairman of the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) of the sixty-first General Assembly on 8 June. His reply to some of questions on the agenda of Third Committee: Human rights issues have become central to the Third Committee. One of the newest additions to the UN human rights framework is the Human Rights Council. How do you think the delegates perceive the early work of the Human Rights Council? I think people were excited to have the Human Rights Council, which is based in Geneva, for the first time. It gives the Third Committee a special importance this year. There was some debate among member states about whether the report of the Council should be referred to the Plenary or to the Third Committee. According to the rules of procedure, a subject should be referred to the committee that deals with that subject, and so we finally agreed to convey to the General Assembly – and the General Assembly approved this – that the report should be referred to both the Third Committee and the Plenary. The Plenary discusses the annual report, while the Third Committee deals with all of the Human Rights Council’s recommendations. Is it difficult for you when issues regarding your home country of Iraq are discussed at the Third Committee? There was only one occasion when I felt I couldn’t chair the Committee because of criticism that was being made of my country. While Iraq is open to criticism, I didn’t feel it was fair for me to listen to criticism without replying. So in that instance I instead let my delegation reply from Iraq’s seat. Other than that occasion, I didn’t have any difficulties listening to people talk about the situation in Iraq. In regards to human rights, in fact, Iraq – whose record is not perfect in this area – is making strides. We now have a ministry for human rights in Iraq for the first time in modern history. What was the hardest thing about chairing this Committee? What was the most rewarding? The most rewarding feeling is to be serving Member States, and to be doing even a little bit to protect human rights. When you feel that you are providing assistance to the most vulnerable people – especially women and children – this is very rewarding. The most difficult thing is to come to a compromise. Member States are always ready to vote, but for a Chair a vote means you have failed to convince delegates to meet in the middle. I always tried to be neutral, I always tried to be transparent in my actions, and I always tried to put myself in the shoes of both sides. The best ways is to meet in the middle, but it is a difficult thing to always suggest the right kind of compromise. Collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO): Obstetric fistula: surviving with dignity — An obstetric fistula is a devastating yet often neglected injury that occurs as a result of prolonged or obstructed labor (usually resulting in a stillbirth as well). Trauma to the vaginal wall results in an opening between the vagina and the bladder, the vagina and the rectum, or both; this leaves the woman leaking urine and/or feces continuously from the vagina. Without surgical repair, the physical consequences of fistula are severe, and include vaginal incontinence, a fetid odor, frequent pelvic and/or urinary infections, pain, infertility and often early mortality. The social consequences of fistula are immense: women with fistula are ostracized and frequently abandoned by their husbands, families and communities; they often become destitute and must struggle to survive. To make matters worse, many women are so embarrassed by this condition that they suffer in silence, rather than seek medical help, even if such help were available. This devastating condition affects more than two million women worldwide. There are an estimated 50 000 to 100 000 additional cases each year, a figure some believe to be an underestimate. Most are young women or adolescents. Early marriage, early or repeated childbearing, along with poverty and lack of access to quality health care in pregnancy and at birth, are the main determinants. Fistulae occur in areas where access to care at childbirth is limited, or of poor quality, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of southern Asia. In the areas where fistulae are most often seen, few hospitals offer the necessary corrective surgery, which is not profitable and for which surgeons and nurses are often poorly trained. In 2003, the United Nations Population Fund along with WHO and other partners launched a Global Campaign for the Elimination of Fistula. Good-quality first-level and back-up care at childbirth prevents fistula. Once the condition has occurred it is treatable. The plight of women living with fistula is a powerful reminder that programmatic concerns should go beyond simply preventing maternal deaths. Decision-makers and professionals should be aware that the problem is not infrequent, that the girls and women who suffer from it need support to get access to treatment, that enough trained doctors and nurses need to be available to provide surgical repair, and that further support is necessary for women who return home after treatment. Collective action can eliminate fistula and ensure that girls and women who suffer this devastating condition are treated so that they can live in dignity. Details: http://www.who.int/whr/2005/chap4-en.pdf Bulletin of the World Health Organization; Volume 85, Number 9, September 2007, 649-732 Table of contents Collaboration with UN University (UNU): The United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations University Office at the United Nations in New York (UNU-ONY), are jointly organizing a side event within the framework of the Eighth Meeting of the United Nations Open-Ended Informal Consultative Process on the Oceans and the Law of the Sea (UNICPOLOS). Marine Genetic Resources: In 1999, the General Assembly decided to establish the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (the Consultative Process) in order to facilitate the annual review by the General Assembly, in an effective and constructive manner, of developments in ocean affairs and the law of the sea by considering the report of the Secretary-General on oceans and the law of the sea and by suggesting particular issues to be considered by it, with an emphasis on identifying areas where coordination and cooperation at the intergovernmental and inter-agency levels should be enhanced (resolution 54/33). The Eighth meeting of the Consultative Process will organize its discussions around the topic of “Marine genetic resources,” as recommended by the General Assembly in resolution 61/222. Oceans are experiencing rapid and, in many cases, dramatic changes as a result of human activity. Because the world’s oceans remain a source of livelihood for hundreds of millions of people, their sustainable and equitable use must continue to be promoted. The growing commercial interest in deep seabed research and the use of the unique genetic resources that this research has discovered raises key policy, ethical and moral questions. Therefore, the meeting will focus on five important issues related to marine genetic resources, with the aim to bring some additional information and experts’ insights to the Eighth Meeting of the Consultative Process. Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources: status of scientific research and changes in scientists’ perspectives; Commercial uses of marine genetic resources; Potential values of marine genetic resources; Development of a database on marine bio-prospecting; Next steps needed to be taken. Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS): Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS “Global Crisis — Global Action”: series continues Support and encourage the development of national and international research infrastructure, laboratory capacity, improved surveillance systems, data collection, processing and dissemination, and training of basic and clinical researchers, social scientists, health-care providers and technicians, with a focus on the countries most affected by HIV/AIDS, particularly developing countries and those countries experiencing or at risk of rapid expansion of the epidemic; Develop and evaluate suitable approaches for monitoring treatment efficacy, toxicity, side effects, drug interactions, and drug resistance, develop methodologies to monitor the impact of treatment on HIV transmission and risk behaviors; Strengthen international and regional cooperation in particular North/South, South/South and triangular cooperation, related to transfer of relevant technologies, suitable to the environment in prevention and care of HIV/AIDS, the exchange of experiences and best practices, researchers and research findings and strengthen the role of UNAIDS in this process. In this context, encourage that the end results of these cooperative research findings and technologies be owned by all parties to the research, reflecting their relevant contribution and dependent upon their providing legal protection to such findings; and affirm that all such research should be free from bias; By 2003, ensure that all research protocols for the investigation of HIV-related treatment including anti-retroviral therapies and vaccines based on international guidelines and best practices are evaluated by independent committees of ethics, in which persons living with HIV/AIDS and caregivers for anti-retroviral therapy participate; HIV/AIDS in conflict and disaster affected regions Conflicts and disasters contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS By 2003, develop and begin to implement national strategies that incorporate HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, care and treatment elements into programs or actions that respond to emergency situations, recognizing that populations destabilized by armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters, including refugees, internally displaced persons and in particular, women and children, are at increased risk of exposure to HIV infection; and, where appropriate, factor HIV/AIDS components into international assistance programs; Call on all United Nations agencies, regional and international organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations involved with the provision and delivery of international assistance to countries and regions affected by conflicts, humanitarian crises or natural disasters, to incorporate as a matter of urgency HIV/AIDS prevention, care and awareness elements into their plans and programs and provide HIV/AIDS awareness and training to their personnel; By 2003, have in place national strategies to address the spread of HIV among national uniformed services, where this is required, including armed forces and civil defense force and consider ways of using personnel from these services who are educated and trained in HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention to assist with HIV/ AIDS awareness and prevention activities including participation in emergency, humanitarian, disaster relief and rehabilitation assistance; By 2003, ensure the inclusion of HIV/AIDS awareness and training, including a gender component, into guidelines designed for use by defense personnel and other personnel involved in international peacekeeping operations while also continuing with ongoing education and prevention efforts, including pre-deployment orientation, for these personnel; Resources The HIV/AIDS challenge cannot be met without new, additional and sustained resources Ensure that the resources provided for the global response to address HIV/AIDS are substantial, sustained and geared towards achieving results; By 2005, through a series of incremental steps, reach an overall target of annual expenditure on the epidemic of between US$ 7 billion and US$ 10 billion in low and middle-income countries and those countries experiencing or at risk of experiencing rapid expansion for prevention, care, treatment, support and mitigation of the impact of HIV/AIDS, and take measures to ensure that needed resources are made available, particularly from donor countries and also from national budgets, bearing in mind that resources of the most affected countries are seriously limited; To be continued… Top Two Articles Accessed in August 2007: The Obstetrical Fistulae in the Developing World; WHEC Publication. Special thanks to WHO, ICM and FIGO for its program/project — Making Pregnancy Safer, and the United Nations Population Fund for their efforts and contributions. It is our privilege to work with this humanitarian project/program. Pelvic Organ Prolapse: An Overview; Authors: Dr.Alka Shaunik and Dr. Lily A. Arya, Division of Uro-gynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (USA). News, Invitations and Letters: THE SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY IN SUPPORT OF VICTIMS OF TORTURE: This is also the first year that the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance — another milestone in the struggle to eliminate torture — has been open for signature. I hope that all UN Member States will sign and ratify this convention as early as possible. Joining this new instrument will prove an unequivocal expression of the international community’s determination to address not only torture but also its most egregious enabling conditions. As we join hands against torture, and adhere unequivocally to the notion that torture is unacceptable, we must never forget its victims. The United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture supports organizations assisting victims of torture and their families. Let me use this occasion to thank all donors to the Fund, and to encourage even more giving to this worthy cause. On this International Day in Support of Victims of Torture let us speak with one voice against the perpetrators of torture, and for all who suffer at their hands. And let us build a better, more humane world for all people everywhere. Informal Interactive Hearing with Civil Society, including Non-Governmental Organizations and the Private Sector of the High-level Dialogue of the General Assembly on Inter-religious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace: The General Assembly, in its resolution 61/221 of 20 December 2006, (OP. 14) decided “to convene in 2007 a high-level dialogue on inter-religious and intercultural cooperation for the promotion of tolerance, understanding and universal respect on matters of freedom of religion or belief and cultural diversity, in coordination with other similar initiatives in this area”. In its resolution 61/269 of 25 May 2007, the General Assembly further decided that the High-level Dialogue would be held on Thursday and Friday, 4 and 5 October 2007 at the ministerial or highest possible level, and that it shall consist of three plenary meetings: one in the morning of Thursday, 4 October and two on Friday, 5 October. The General Assembly also decided to hold in the afternoon of 4 October 2007 an informal interactive hearing with representatives of civil society, including representatives of non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to be chaired by the President of the General Assembly. The Office of the President of the General Assembly has formed a ‘Task Force’ to help ensure the effective participation of civil society, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, in the interactive hearing. The function of the Task Force is to assist the President of the General Assembly in the organization of the hearing by recommending formats and by drawing up a list of participants. A complete list of Task Force Members, Advisers and Ex-Officio can be accessed on the website of the President of the General Assembly: http://www.un.org/ga/president/61/ The United Nations and Darfur: More than 200,000 people are estimated to have been killed and at least 2 million displaced from their homes in Darfur since fighting broke out in 2003 between Government of Sudan forces, allied Janjaweed militia and other armed rebel groups. Atrocities such as the murder of civilians and the rape of women and girls have been widespread and continue, underscoring the necessity for urgent action. The UN raised the alarm on the crisis in Darfur in 2003 and finding a lasting resolution has been a top priority for the Security Council and two consecutive Secretaries-General. In addition to pursuing a political solution, the UN and its partners are currently operating the largest aid effort in the world in Darfur and in refugee camps in Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR). In parallel, UN human rights experts have reported on abuses, and monitored efforts by local courts to bring perpetrators to justice. Under the auspices of the African Union (AU) and with support of the UN and other partners, the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) was signed on 5 May 2006. Intensive diplomatic and political efforts to bring the non-signatories into the peace process continue. The UN has also provided logistical and technical assistance to AU monitors dispatched to Darfur since 2004, and has developed, adapted and is now implementing plans for a multidimensional peacekeeping operation. In accordance with the decision of the 16 November 2006 High-Level consultations in Addis Ababa — attended by the former Secretary-General, five Permanent Members of the Security Council, representatives of the Government of Sudan, the AU and other States and organizations with political influence in the region, and some African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) troop contributing countries — the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) designed a three-phased approach to augment AMIS and create an unprecedented hybrid AU-UN peacekeeping force. Intensive private and public diplomacy by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and several actors in the international community resulted in Sudan’s acceptance of this force in June 2007. Humanitarian efforts — UN humanitarian agencies are leading the largest current relief effort in the world to assist the approximately 4.2 million people in need of aid due to the Darfur crisis. Of these, 2.1 million are internally displaced in Sudan, while approximately 236,000 are refugees in eastern Chad. More than US $650 million in aid to Darfur is planned for 2007. More than 12,000 humanitarian workers are deployed in the region to bring assistance to those affected by the crisis. They include staff from 13 UN agencies, the Red Cross/Red Crescent societies and more than 80 non-governmental organizations (NGO). Over the last four years, this massive humanitarian effort has saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Mortality rates have been brought below emergency levels; global malnutrition has been halved from the height of the crisis in mid-2004; and nearly three-quarters of all Darfurians now have access to safe drinking water. However, civilians continue to be forcibly displaced as a result of attacks from all sides, with more than 140,000 displaced in Darfur in the first five months of 2007 alone. With populations growing, many IDP camps can no longer absorb new arrivals, and tensions are rising. The humanitarian operation and its staff have been increasingly targeted by violence. As of June 2007, 69 aid workers had been temporarily abducted, 37 convoys had been attacked or looted, and 61 humanitarian vehicles had been hijacked. Some leading NGOs have withdrawn citing violence against aid workers. The UN estimates that more than half a million people across Darfur are currently cut off from humanitarian assistance. This is an improvement in access since February 2007, when 900,000 were inaccessible, and is attributed to increased efforts by humanitarian workers to reach conflict-affected populations through innovative and often expensive means — not to any improvement in the security. The UN has continued to press the authorities in Khartoum for improved humanitarian access and security for aid workers, resulting in the signing in April 2007 of a joint communiqué between the Government of Sudan and the UN to effectively ensure and facilitate humanitarian activities in Darfur. Donors have funded 62% of the Darfur aid operation (as of 15 June 2007, US $396 million had been pledged or committed out of the US $652 million required), mostly for food aid. Other sectors are seriously under funded and require commitments. In the face of continuing insecurity, the UN and its humanitarian partners are effectively holding the line for the survival and protection of millions. International Criminal Court – Following a recommendation by the Commission of Inquiry, in March 2005, the Security Council, in resolution 1593, referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and ordered Sudan to cooperate with the Court’s investigations. On 2 May 2007, the ICC issued arrest warrants for crimes against humanity and war crimes against former Minister of State for the Interior of the Government of Sudan and current Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs, Ahmad Harun, and Janajweed commander Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman. Security Council resolutions – Relevant Security Council resolutions include SCR 1590 (2005) establishing UNMIS; SCR 1556 (2004) and 1591 (2005) imposing sanctions over Darfur; SCR 1706 (2006) giving UNMIS a mandate in Darfur and authorizing its troop strength; and SCR 1755 (2007) extending the mandate of UNMIS until October 2007. Special Thanks: WHEC thanks Mr. Juan-Carlos Brandt, Chief, NGO Section, Department of Public Information, United Nations for his friendship and support to our efforts to improve maternal and child health worldwide. Thanks for the friendship. It is indeed our privilege to work with you and the entire department. Beyond the numbers… Happy the man, whose wish and care A few paternal acres bound, Content to breathe his native air In his own ground.Read More

A Newsletter of worldwide activity of Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) December 2006; Vol. 1, No. 3 It is the time of year when our thoughts turn to gratitude, and one of the things I am most thankful for is wonderful and talented writers / editors / contributors / reviewers of WomensHealthSection.com. The physicians whose work you see in these pages are excellent, and they are experts in their field. Give people the information to act; then look for magic to happen. The fastest-growing parts of the Internet all involve direct human interaction. Empowerment is not “giving power to people”. It is releasing the power — the Knowledge, Experience and Motivation — they already have. The Internet is much more than a technology — it is a completely different way of organizing our lives. Internet-Classrooms are the way forward in improving maternal and child health worldwide. Don’t bet against Internet-Classrooms — it is simply the best. Today we live in the clouds. We’re moving into the era of “cloud” computing, with information and applications hosted in the diffuse atmosphere of cyberspace rather than on specific processors and silicon racks. The network will truly be the computer. Internet has brought unprecedented freedoms to millions of people worldwide — to create and communicate, to organize and influence, to speak and be heard. Happiness never resides in what an individual has, but always in what an individual does. Life is made up, not of great sacrifices or duties but of little things, in which smiles and kindness and small obligations, given habitually, is what win and preserve the heart and secure comfort. Because the goodwill of those we serve is the foundation of our success; it is a real pleasure at this holiday time to say — Thank You; as we wish you a full year of happiness and prosperity. Happy Holidays Your Questions, Our Reply: Who needs public goods? Who can buy global public goods / virtual space, and who has the authority to sell it? Global Public Sphere: The history of the words “public” and “private” is a key to understanding this basic shift in terms of Western culture. The first recorded uses of the word “public” in English identify the “public” with the common good in society. “Private” has the connotations of being personal and intimate. Public goods, common good, collective goods and global public goods are heavily contested concepts. Natural environment (common good), social policy (collective goods), knowledge (global public goods), national defense systems and systems of property rights (public goods) are typical examples. The public sector can be seen as the dialectical opposite to the private sector. However, defining the public sector as “not for profit” misses the point; rather it should be understood as “not for private profit” or “for the common good”. It is not possible to neglect one or the other anymore. A creative work is said to be in the public domain if there are no laws that restrict its use by the public at large. Such works as the inventions of Sir Isaac Newton, the Bible, the Torah, the Gita and the Qur’an also form part of the public domain, because they were created before copyright and patent laws. In contemporary jargon, public domain refers to space within the openly accessible virtual world, e.g. a private website. The fifth dimension is media, and the information and communication technology (ICT) acts as its infrastructure. Virtual space (Internet) has rapidly become an equally important place for public appearance, political debate / argumentation and scientific forums / discussions, as in any other media. In my opinion, all goods are private and only ownership can give a mandate to decision-making; but if we agree that there are common goods to be shared equally among people, not just a finite amount of private goods, there has to be an open forum where decisions can be made about sharing the commons. May be Internet can be seen as a single public space with virtual portals and websites, and form a purely public space to a fuzzy mix of public and private domains. Stay tuned… About NGO Association with the UN: Human trafficking is one of today’s most egregious human rights violations. Traffickers prey on the most vulnerable members of society: people burdened by poverty, disabilities and discrimination. Trafficking in persons refers to the illegal trade or “sale” of human beings for sexual exploitation or forced labor through abduction, the use or threat of force, deception and fraud. It knows no gender, race, age or even boundaries. According to the Trafficking in Persons Report of the United States State Department, 600,000 to 800,000 are traded annually across international borders; most of the victims are women and girls. In 2000 the international community created the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which supplements the Convention. For the first time in a legal document, the Protocol specifically defines and criminalizes trafficking in persons. It also urges States to assist and protect victims of trafficking, for example by stopping their deportation and allowing their repatriation, strengthening border controls and improving the integrity and security of identification documents. As an international NGO that promotes women’s rights worldwide, Vital Voices Global Partnership pursues three strategies in its anti-trafficking advocacy work: Raising public awareness; Promoting effective partnerships between Governments and NGOs; Training and building NGO capacity to counter human trafficking. Collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO): Over a span of two years and as a result of extensive consultation, the Task Force on Child Health and Maternal Health (MDGs 4 & 5) analyzed what it will take to meet the goals of reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. In its final report, published earlier this year, the Task Force issued a set of nine recommendations for realizing improvements in child mortality and maternal health. These findings will generate momentum for reframing maternal, newborn, and child health, moving from a focus on health systems, equity, and human rights. The report calls on health policymakers to broad systemic issues that affect the delivery of maternal, newborn, and child health services, such as health-sector financing, human-resource systems, and poverty-reduction strategies. This report title: Who got the power: Transforming Health Systems for Women and Children, can be accessed at: www.unmillenniumproject.org/documents/maternalchild-complete.pdf (Requires Adobe Reader) Collaboration with UN University (UNU): In 1973, the founders of UN University (UNU) gave it a challenging mission: develop original, forward-looking solutions to the world’s most pressing problems and help build capacity, in particular in developing countries. Mission of UNU contributes, through research and capacity building, to efforts to resolve the pressing global problems that are the concern of the United Nations, its peoples and Member States. UNU’s mission remains as relevant as in 1973. Major shifts, however have made the University’s mission more complex, and more important. Globalization, rapid technological advances and economic shifts favoring knowledge-based economies offer great opportunities. They also present challenges — even threats — to many countries. In the early 1970s, the Government of Japan pledged US $ 100 million to launch UNU’s Endowment Fund. Since then, over 50 other governments have contributed to UNU. To world decision makers, UNU offers fresh, alternative views on today’s problems, a proactive analysis of emerging problems and sound policy alternatives to address them. UNU forms and cooperates with networks between universities and research institutes around the globe. UNU welcomes comment and new ideas, and invites you to join in achieving the goals of the United Nations. UNU’s work is both theoretical and practical. It promotes innovative thinking, generates useful knowledge and facilitates down-to-earth action. Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS): On 1 December World AIDS Day 2006 commemorated worldwide with a wide range of events taking place. In 1988, the General Assembly expressed deep concern at the pandemic proportions of AIDS. Noting that the World Health Organization had declared 1 December 1988 World AIDS Day, the Assembly stressed the importance of observing that occasion (Resolution 43/15). Since then, World AIDS Day has aimed to increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education. Out of an estimated 39.5 million people living with HIV worldwide at the end 2006, 4.3 million were newly infected last year alone, according to AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2006, released by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in advance of World AIDS Day. The focus of World AIDS Day 2006 is accountability and the slogan is “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise,” based on the commitments made through the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS. “Accountability—the theme of this World AIDS Day—requires every President and Prime Minister, every parliamentarian and politician, to decide and declare that ‘AIDS stops with me.’ It requires them to strengthen protection for all vulnerable groups—whether people living with HIV, young people, sex workers, injecting drug users, or men who have sex with men. It requires them to work hand in hand with civil society groups, who are so crucial to the struggle. It requires them to work for real, positive change that will give more power and confidence to women and girls, and transform relations between women and men at all levels of society,” UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in his message on World AIDS Day 2006. “The theme of this World AIDS Day is accountability. If we are to reach the targets that countries have set for themselves then, now more than ever, we need to make the money work. Collectively and with civil society we need to strengthen national ownership, improve processes of coordination and harmonization, continue to reform the multilateral response, and define clear means of accountability and oversight for these changes,” UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot said in his message commemorating the Day. Spearheading activities and events around World AIDS Day is the World Aid Campaign (WAC), based in Amsterdam and which took over the Campaign from UNAIDS. WAC operates under a governance system led by civil society to shift policy, mobilize resources, and call for action on the ground. Also to commemorate World AIDS Day 2006, the International Labor Organization (ILO) has launched its report HIV/AIDS and Work: Global Estimates, Impact on Children and Youth, and Response 2006, which presents updated estimates of the impact of the HIV epidemic on the world of work, the labor force and the working-age population in 60 countries in all regions. A new UNAIDS Best Practice Collection report Global Reach: How Trade Unions are Responding to AIDS will also be available. The report brings to public attention the “innovative programs and successful initiatives” of the labor movement in responding to HIV/AIDS. The report is a joint publication by the ILO, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (now the International Trade Union Confederation), Global Union AIDS Program and UNAIDS. Top Two-Articles Accessed in November 2006: Epidural & Spinal Anesthesia: Understanding the Facts Women’s Health and Education Center’s Contribution. HIV in Pregnancy: A Comprehensive Review Author: Dr. Howard L. Minkoff, Chairman, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, NY; Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, SUNY-Health Science Center, Brooklyn, New York, NY (USA) News, Invitations and Letters: The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes investments in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). These investments are designed to help the LDCs reduce poverty and achieve the objectives of the Brussels Program of Action for the LDCs and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). UNCDF’s investment capital is flexible, high-risk, and innovative, and its development approach seeks the long-term development of human, institutional, and financial capacity in the poorest countries. UNCDF currently invests in 28 of the 50 LDCs, and plans to expand its investments to 45 LDCs by the end of 2007. UNCDF’s Local Development Programs (LDPs) build the capacity of local governments and make investments in local communities to improve their access to social services and economic infrastructure. Its Microfinance investments provide enhanced access for households and enterprises to financial services and direct support for start-up and emerging microfinance institutions. UNCDF was founded in 1966 as an independent instrument of the United Nations with a special mission: ” … to assist developing countries in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of loans and grants …” (GA resolution 2186 (XXI) on the establishment of UNCDF, 13 December 1966). UNCDF is a member of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) group, and reports to UNDP’s Executive Board. As such, UNCDF works in close partnership with UNDP in areas ranging from joint programming to administrative and logistical support. The UNDP Resident Representative represents UNCDF at the country level. The Fund derives its resources from voluntary contributions made by member states, and from co-financing by governments, international organizations and the private sector. UNCDF is committed to results-based management, combining quality programming with financially sound management. The Fund produces concrete results through programs that pilot innovative approaches to local development and microfinance for replication on a larger scale. International migration and development: patterns, problems, and policy directions; seminar held at UN Headquarter, New York in November 2006. In recent years, substantial numbers of people have migrated — or sought to migrate — from regions that are afflicted by poverty and insecurity to more prosperous and stable parts of the world. By the year 2000, the United Nations estimated that about 140 million persons — resided in a country where they were not born. Such population flows, involving increasingly tortuous and dangerous long-distance journeys, have been both prompted and facilitated by a variety of factors associated with the process of globalization: a growing disparity in the level of human security to be found in different parts of the world; improved transportation, communications and information technology systems; the expansion of transnational social networks; and the emergence of a commercial (and sometimes criminal) industry, devoted to the smuggling of people across international borders. The World Institute for Development Economics Research of the United Nations University (UNU-WIDER) launched two major research projects on migration. This research identifies and quantifies the movement of skilled people across the global economy, as well as the determinants of these flows, and costs and benefits to the sending countries in the developing world. Ban Ki-moon appointed next Secretary-General by General Assembly: With words of welcome and support the United Nations General Assembly appointed Ban Ki-moon, foreign minister of the Republic of Korea, to its highest post. Regional representatives spoke in turn, welcoming the newly selected Secretary-General. All expressed praise for Mr. Ban’s previous accomplishments and hope for his future tenure at the UN’s helm. Details: http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2006/webArticles/101306_ban The United Nations University Office at the UN in New York (UNU-ONY), in collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), is holding a seminar on The Role of the Secretary-General on the Eve of Change. The seminar is part of the annual UNU/UNITAR governance series and will take place on 18 and 19 December 2006 in Conference Room 8 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The seminar’s intent is to illustrate to delegates the various roles and functions of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, to review these functions in light of the evolving nature of the UN system, and to consider how this role has evolved over time and may develop in the future. The speakers will be drawn from the UN secretariat, Permanent Missions, and civil society. Special Thanks: WHEC thanks Dr. Charles J. Lockwood, Professor and Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale School of Medicine, for accepting the goals and mission of e-learning publication: WomensHealthSection.com. Best Wishes from all of us. Thanks for the friendship. My incredible good fortune to coordinate this project with a friend, Paul Hoeffel, Director, UN Information Center; my greatest-debt to him for his unwavering faith when I needed the most. Beyond the numbers… So many Gods, so many creeds So many paths that wind and wind; While just the art of being kind Is all the sad world needs.Read More

2017 January (pdf) February (pdf) March (pdf) April (pdf) May (pdf) June (pdf) July (pdf) August (pdf) September (pdf) October (pdf) November (pdf) December (pdf) 2016 January (pdf) February (pdf) March (pdf) April (pdf) May (pdf) June (pdf) July (pdf) August (pdf) September (pdf) October (pdf) November (pdf) December (pdf) 2015 January (pdf) February (pdf) March (pdf) April (pdf) May (pdf) June (pdf) July (pdf) August (pdf) September (pdf) October (pdf) November (pdf) December (pdf) 2014 January (pdf) February (pdf) March (pdf) April (pdf) May (pdf) June (pdf) July (pdf) August (pdf) September (pdf) October (pdf) November (pdf) December (pdf) 2013 January (pdf) February (pdf) March (pdf) April (pdf) May (pdf) June (pdf) July (pdf) August (pdf) September (pdf) October (pdf) November (pdf) December (pdf) 2012 January (pdf) February (pdf) March (pdf) April (pdf) May (pdf) June (pdf) July (pdf) August (pdf) September (pdf) October (pdf) November (pdf) December (pdf) 2011 January (pdf) February (pdf) March (pdf) April (pdf) May (pdf) June (pdf) July (pdf) August (pdf) September (pdf) October (pdf) November (pdf) December (pdf) 2010 January (pdf) February (pdf) March (pdf) April (pdf) May (pdf) June (pdf) July (pdf) August (pdf) September (pdf) October (pdf) November (pdf) December (pdf) 2009 January (pdf) February (pdf) March (pdf) April (pdf) May (pdf) June (pdf) July (pdf) August (pdf) September (pdf) October (pdf) November (pdf) December (pdf) 2008 January February March April May June July (pdf) August (pdf) September (pdf) October (pdf) November (pdf) December (pdf) 2007 January February March April May June July August September October November December 2006 October November December This page contains documents in PDF format. You will need Adobe Reader to view these documents.Read More

A Newsletter of worldwide activity of Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) October 2006; Vol. 1, No. 1 On 24th October 2002 when our e-learning publication was launched, I had millions of doubts about this project. In fact the reality has completely exceeded my fantasies. And that is remarkable given that I can dream pretty big. Four years later it is a very well respected international journal in women’s healthcare and has captured many people’s imaginations. A great-big thank you goes out to the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, UN Chronicle and Contemporary OB/GYN. WomensHealthSection.com is no longer exclusively mine; it belongs to millions of readers around the world who feel this is their project too. Luckily; the memories of the uncertainty and fear I had in 2002 are almost forgotten. Almost. Enjoy WomensHealthSection.com, and a big thank you. About NGO Association with the UN: Non-governmental organizations have been partners of the Department of Public Information (DPI) since its establishment in 1947. Official relationships between DPI and NGOs date back to 1968. The Economic and Social Council in its resolution 1297 called on DPI to associate NGOs with effective information programs in place and thus disseminate information about issues on the UN’s agenda and the work of the Organization. Through associated NGOs DPI seeks to reach people around the world and help them better understand the work and aims of the United Nations. The DPI/NGO Section is part of the department’s Outreach Division and acts as its liaison between the United Nations and NGOs and other civil society organizations. It oversees partnerships with associated NGOs and provides a wide range of information services to them. These include weekly NGO briefings, communication workshops, an annual NGO conference and an annual orientation program for newly associated NGOs. Currently there are 1533 NGOs with strong information programs associated with DPI out of which 634 are also associated with ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council). While consultative status with ECOSOC may be obtained by NGOs whose work covers issues on the agenda of ECOSOC, association with DPI also requires having effective information programs in place and the ability and means to disseminate information about the work of the United Nations. Collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO): The world’s leading advocates for women and children have joined forces to create The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health. The Partnership unites leaders in developing and donor countries in the effort to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5, focusing global efforts to scale up resources, strategies and political commitments to achieve these goals. The vision of The Partnership is to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality and morbidity through universal coverage of essential care. For details please visit: http://www.pmnch.org/ Collaboration with UN University (UNU): UNU provides specialized training throughout the world. Its “faculty” is an international network of scholars and professional contributors, while its “students” are mainly young researchers and other professionals (in particular, from developing countries) who receive postgraduate training as UNU fellows, or who benefit from UNU’s capacity-building activities. Academic and professional staff is recruited from universities, research institutions, international organizations and similar institutions, often for fixed terms. The University’s network personnel generally hold positions at major universities or research institutions worldwide and remain in their posts while working with UNU programs. A wide variety of nationalities and cultures are represented. UNU receives no funds from the United Nations regular budget; it is financed entirely from the endowment and from voluntary contributions from governments, agencies, foundations and individuals. UNU also has benefited from counterpart and other support, including cost sharing of scholarships and other activities. Key roles of UNU: An international community of scholars A bridge between the UN and the academic community A think-tank for the UN System A builder of capacities, particularly in developing countries. Top Two-Articles Accessed in September 2006: Managing Vesico-Vaginal Fistulae Authors: Dr. Neeraj Kohli, Director Div. of Urogynecology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA (USA) Dr. John R. Miklos, Assistant Professor, Medical College of Georgia, Atlanta, GA (USA) Profiling Domestic Violence WHEC Publication. Special thanks to Battered Women’s Shelter of Springfield, MA for the assistance with research. Special Thanks: WHEC thanks Dr. John J. Sciarra, Professor Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University, Chicago, ILL. (USA) for his enthusiasm for International Health and this project since its inception. His support and appreciation always inspires us. WHEC thanks Judy Orvos, Editor, Contemporary OB/GYN for her assistance with Sign Out Column. We all are looking forward to work with her for a long time to come. My deepest gratitude to Dr. James A. Whelton, Chairman (Retired) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston, MA (USA) for teaching us the true meaning of patient-care and many valuable lessons of life. Beyond the numbers… Of all judgments that we pass in life, none is as important as the one we pass on ourselves, for that judgment touches the very center of our existence. We stand in the midst of an almost infinite network of relationships: to other people, to things, to the universe. And yet, at three o’clock in the morning, when we are alone with ourselves, we are aware that the most intimate and powerful of all relationships and the one we can never escape is the relationship to ourselves.Read More

A Newsletter of worldwide activity of Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC)May 2007; Vol. 2, No. 5 Now is the time to review some of the highlights in our popular publications — WomensHealthSection.com and WHEC Update. There is natural curiosity about the secret of success. It requires more than money to build a successful publication. It takes hard work, determination and passion — we got all three. With an education, equality and a voice, we have the power to help stop spread of disease. The power to start new projects / programs. The power, ultimately, to help an entire society move forward. That is why WHEC is working to empower women worldwide. It is time for empowerment. Every year is crucial for the 3 billion people who are entrapped in poverty. The goal of ending extreme poverty is vital not solely as a matter of compassion. The world economy will benefit enormously from the contributions of those who are able to move from a state of dependency to full participation. Not just aid but also ideas — in particular the idea of legal rights, universal health coverage, access to quality healthcare — will be crucial for reducing poverty. Poverty and maternal mortality / morbidity have direct link. The wide acceptance of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the international community confirms the central role of human development, including health and nutrition, in combating poverty. We hope our projects / programs help strengthening efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger, including through the global partnership for development. We will be little too optimistic about human development. Legal empowerment has been recognized as a useful approach to poverty reduction only if it offers political leaders a viable path for implementing large-scale reforms. Policymakers are increasingly open to newer concepts, designed not only to alleviate the symptoms of poverty, but also to attack root causes. One such idea is explored by the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, an UN-affiliated initiative. Former US secretary of state, Madeline Albright, co-chairs the commission with Hernando de Soto, a Peruvian economist who champions the idea that the poor remain poor in part because they do not have legal rights. The importance of legal empowerment now also figures prominently in the strategies of organizations that have become partners of the commission, including the UNDP (United Nations Development Program), the World Bank, the International Labor Organization (ILO), UN Habitat and Inter-American Development Bank. The commission’s mandate is daunting but also vital, for legal empowerment can add much to the world’s arsenal in its ongoing struggle to save and enrich human lives. We want to hear from you! Rita Luthra, MD Your Questions, Our Reply: Is health-status of women one of the most sensitive indicators of progress in social development? Social Development: Women illustrate better than any other population group the combined impact of poverty, unemployment and social disintegration on health and quality of life. The development and prosperity of any society directly depend on the strength and creativity of its people. Women’s poor health status has a high economic cost in terms of lost productivity; in addition, their ability to provide adequate care and support for themselves and their families is very much diminished. The healthy development of child ensures that child is able to grow up, attend school and acquire skills, find gainful employment, achieve personal autonomy and live a self-fulfilling and productive life within its family and community. Poverty remains the main obstacle to health development. For millions of people, poverty implies lack of access to proper food, water and shelter, and therefore greater vulnerability to disease. In many industrialized countries, urban poverty is increasing, multiplying violence, drug abuse and risk of HIV infection. Everywhere, poverty and unemployment lead to a deterioration in health and jeopardize social cohesion. Health can be used as a rallying cry to foster social cooperation and consensus; it is thus a more powerful tool in coping with violence than confrontation. Unemployment, marginalization, and poverty are conditions that result in poorer health and are exacerbated by the discrimination girls and women face throughout their lives. In virtually every society, women face discrimination in education and employment, as well as social and economic status, all of which contribute to a heightened vulnerability to disease and ill-health. If the world community endorses the concept of equality in health, it will commit itself to achieving a better quality of life for all people and reducing differences in health status among countries and between population groups. As countries develop and implement their Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRS), one of the key challenges is to identify actions that will have the greatest impact on poverty and improve the lives of the poor. The challenge is compounded by the fact that poverty has many dimensions, cuts across many sectors, and is experienced differently by women and by men. In no region of the developing world are women equal to men in legal, social and economic rights. Gender gaps are widespread in access to and control of resources, in economic opportunities, in power and political voice. Gender equality is a development objective on its own — it also makes good business sense as it is central to economic growth and sustainable development. We at Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) put particular emphasis on improving the health and well-being of women to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and women’s health to be used as a powerful progress indicator in achieving social development. About NGO Association with the UN: Fifth Committee: Administrative and Budgetary — It confines its scope not just to “budgetary and administration” issues, it also monitors United Nations activities as diverse as reviewing human resources management policies and establishing strengthened security management systems to protect UN staff members worldwide. In a nutshell, it “considers all issues relating to the machinery of the Organization”. A budget outline is normally presented at the end of the “official budget” year and contains an estimate of resources to accommodate the United Nations main priorities, positive or negative growth compared with the previous budget and the size of the contingency fund. It also reflects inflation and exchange rate variations, as well as additional mandates approved after the adoption of biennium budget. Non-payment of dues by the Member States ultimately affects the Organization’s ability to deliver, since resources must be juggled from other parts of the system — to keep programs on tracks. Whether countries are rich or poor, they are all obligated to pay the contributions. One of the main features of the new scale was the reduction of the maximum rates of assessment from 25 to 22 per cent. Subsequently, the new ceiling has been applied to the United Nations main contributor — the United States — and the points arising as a result of the change were distributed among other States. On the Committee’s recommendation, the General Assembly also acted on a wide range of other issues, such as human resources management, financing for the international tribunals, the United Nations contingency fund, the Organization’s first performance report, and reports of UN oversight bodies. Towards a unified security system. Collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO): Science-based companies consider patent protection one of the main forms of expanding their powers of appropriation. Powers of appropriation are those mechanisms, including legal rights and entitlements, which allow individuals or entities to control the distribution of value created. A framework for measuring the degree of public health-sensitivity of patent legislation reformed after World Trade Organization’s TRIPS (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) Agreement entered in force is proposed. It involves three main steps: (1) a literature review on TRIPS flexibilities related to the protection of public health and provisions considered “TRIPS-plus”; (2) content validation through consensus techniques (an adaptation of Delphi method); and (3) an analysis of patent legislation from nineteen Latin American and Caribbean countries. The framework’s potential usefulness in monitoring patent legislation changes arises from its clear parameters for measuring patent legislation’s degree of health sensitivity. Nevertheless, it can be improved by including indicators related to government and organized society initiatives that minimize free-trade agreements’ negative effects on access to medicines. For details please visit — World Intellectual Property Organization: www.wipo.int/clea/en/ Bulletin of the World Health Organization; Volume 85, Number 5, May 2007, 325-420 Table of contents Collaboration with UN University (UNU): Peace and Governance — Freedom from Fear: UNU strives to promote sustainable peace and good governance. Humankind cannot live free of fear when over a billion people continue to live in servitude to want. Equally, however, an environment of insecurity degrades the prospects for economic growth and development. The Peace and Governance Program examines the nature, roots, outbreaks, tools and consequences of conflict; and how to prevent, manage and resolve conflict. It develops recommendations and guidelines for making the world safer and better, for people of all faiths and ages, through just and equitable institutions and policies, protection and promotion of human rights, and enhancement of the quality of life. Point of View: Tracing adverse and favorable factors in pregnancy care, the TRACE technique “Knowing the precise reasons why women die will enable a start to be made in addressing the specific problems to be overcome” [WHO, 2004] Meaningful assessment of the quality of maternity health care services in developing countries is crucial for improving care. We developed the TRACE technique, based on the confidential enquiry method, to investigate why maternal death or severe obstetric morbidity occurs and to identify opportunities for improving services. In TRACE, contributing factors in cases of maternal death or severe obstetric morbidity are identified by committees of local health care providers. The committees use anonymous data (clinical case notes, medical records, or verbal accounts of events during the provision of care) to assess events according to a specific framework. Assessments are collected and patterns identified to generate recommendations for practice. The TRACE approach is novel in that effort is made to identify favorable, as well as adverse, factors. This helps alleviate some of the anxiety and defensiveness felt by health professionals when an enquiry is undertaken (1). TRACE has been applied to assess the quality of emergency obstetric care provided in communities through the Indonesian village midwife program and the clinical quality of care in hospitals before and after introduction of a fee exemption policy in Ghana. Despite considerable commitment to these safe motherhood strategies from the Ghanaian and Indonesian Governments, it is not certain whether the resources invested have resulted in improvements in care, and how further improvements could be achieved. In two diverse settings, the method proved to be a means for achieving improved resource allocation by identifying locally relevant adaptations to services. The enquiry represented a sustained effort by local providers to learn from adverse events. And the method was a learning tool fostering self-reflection, awareness and an understanding of the needs of pregnant women for those involved. The TRACE technique is freely available for local application as part of the IMMPACT Toolkit. It is a resource collection of research tools developed by IMMPACT, with guidance on how to design and conduct evaluations of complex health interventions for safe motherhood. By Julia Hussein and Lucia D’Ambruoso IMMPACT, University of Aberdeen Health Sciences Building, Foresterhill Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD, United Kingdom Reference: Hussein J. Improving the use of confidential enquiries into maternal deaths in developing countries. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2007; 85: 68-69. Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS): Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS “Global Crisis — Global Action”: series continues Affirming the key role played by the family in prevention, care, support and treatment of persons affected and infected by HIV/AIDS, bearing in mind that in different cultural, social and political systems various forms of the family exist; Affirming that beyond the key role played by communities, strong partnerships among Governments, the United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations, people living with HIV/AIDS and vulnerable groups, medical, scientific and educational institutions, non-governmental organizations, the business sector including generic and research-based pharmaceutical companies, trade unions, media, parliamentarians, foundations, community organizations, faith-based organizations and traditional leaders are important; Acknowledging the particular role and significant contribution of people living with HIV/AIDS, young people and civil society actors in addressing the problem of HIV/AIDS in all its aspects and recognizing that their full involvement and participation in design, planning, implementation and evaluation of programs is crucial to the development of effective responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic; Further acknowledging the efforts of international humanitarian organizations combating the epidemic, including among others the volunteers of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the most affected areas all over the world; Commending the leadership role on HIV/AIDS policy and coordination in the United Nations system of the UNAIDS Program Coordinating Board; noting its endorsement in December 2000 of the Global Strategy Framework for HIV/AIDS, which could assist, as appropriate, Member Sates and relevant civil society actors in the development of HIV/AIDS strategies, taking into account the particular context of the epidemic in different parts of the world; Solemnly declare our commitment to address the HIV/AIDS crisis by taking action as follows, taking into account the diverse situations and circumstances in different regions and countries throughout the world; Leadership Strong leadership at all levels of society is essential for an effective response to the epidemic. Leadership by Governments in combating HIV/AIDS is essential and their efforts should be complemented by the full and active participation of civil society, the business community and the private sector. Leadership involves personal commitment and concrete actions. At the national level By 2003, ensure the development and implementation of multisectoral national strategies and financing plans for combating HIV/AIDS that: address the epidemic in forthright terms; confront stigma, silence and denial; address gender and age-based dimensions of the epidemic; eliminate discrimination and marginalization; involve partnerships with civil society and the business sector and the full participation of people living with HIV/AIDS, those in vulnerable groups and people mostly at risk, particularly women and young people; are resourced to the extent possible from national budgets without excluding other sources, inter alias international cooperation; fully promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; integrate a gender perspective; and address risk, vulnerability, prevention, care, treatment and support and reduction of the impact of the epidemic; and strengthen health, education and legal system capacity; By 2003, integrate HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment and support and impact mitigation priorities into the mainstream of development planning, including in poverty eradication strategies, national budget allocations and sectoral development plans; At the regional and subregional level Urge and support regional organizations and partners to: be actively involved in addressing the crisis; intensify regional, subregional and interregional cooperation and coordination; and develop regional strategies and responses in support of expanded country level efforts; Support all regional and subregional initiatives on HIV/AIDS including: the International Partnership against AIDS in Africa (IPPA) and the ECA-African Development Forum Consensus and Plan of Action: Leadership to Overcome HIV/AIDS; the Abuja Declaration and Framework for Action for the Fight Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other Disease; the CARICOM Pan-Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS; the ESCAP Regional Call for Action to Fight HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific; the Baltic Sea Initiative and Action Plan; the Horizontal Technical Cooperation Group on HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean; the European Union Program for Action; Accelerated Action on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis in the context of poverty reduction To be continued… Top Two Articles Accessed in April 2007: Elder Abuse;WHEC Publication. Special thanks to American Bar Association, Commission on Legal Problems for the Elderly, for its contribution. Breastfeeding Guidelines for Healthcare Providers;WHEC Publication. Special thanks to WHO and UNICEF for the contributions. News, Invitations and Letters: CLIMATE CHANGE REQUIRES LONG-TERM GLOBAL RESPONSE, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS SECURITY COUNCIL SG/A/1061-ENV/DEV/929. SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS THREE NEW SPECIAL ENVOYS ON CLIMATE CHANGE The Year in Review 2006, published by the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS), gives a snapshot picture of civil society engagement in the policy and normative work of the UN and reviews the various consultations, forums, policy dialogues, hearings, CSO advisory committees that have taken place throughout the year 2006. It is hoped that readers will find this new NGLS publication – supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation – to be a useful and concise overview of the UN system’s engagement with the non-governmental community in 2006. The Year in Review 2006 is available in English as a pdf document at: http://www.un-ngls.org/site/IMG/pdf/YiR2006.pdf (Requires Adobe Reader) The Trusteeship Council was established by the UN Charter in 1945 to provide international supervision for 11 Trust Territories placed under the administration of 7 Member States, and ensure that adequate steps were taken to prepare the Territories for self-government or independence. The Charter authorized the Trusteeship Council to examine and discuss reports from the Administering Authority on the political, economic, social and educational advancement of the peoples of Trust Territories; to examine petitions from the Territories; and to undertake special missions to the Territories. By 1994, all Trust Territories had attained self-government or independence, either as separate States or by joining neighboring independent countries. The last to do was the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau), which became the 185th Member State. Its work completed, the Trusteeship Council — consisting of the five permanent members of the Security Council, China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States — has amended its rules of procedure to meet as and where occasion may require. Teaching women to care for themselves in Afghanistan: Afghan women have one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates. They face many obstacles when it comes to accessing health care: most are rural and do not live close to or cannot access medical facilities, if the need arises. The few existing facilities do not necessarily specialize in obstetric and gynecological care and cannot always offer quality care. Many Afghan families do not recognize signs of complication during pregnancy and delivery, and may not seek medical attention soon enough to save the lives of mothers and babies. Also ongoing insecurity and cultural norms in the country often keep women from leaving the house to seek urgently needed medical care. Because of cultural pressures, families are reluctant to present women to male doctors, and few female doctors are trained to meet the overwhelming medical needs of women; these conditions constitute a death sentence for thousands of women each year. Details: http://www.un.org:80/Pubs/chronicle/2005/issue4/0405p46.html Special Thanks: WHEC thanks Sol Oca, Information Officer, United Nations Department of Public Information (UN-DPI), for her continuing support to our projects. Thanks for the friendship. Beyond the numbers… Some use computers to enhance creative thinking skills; while others use thinking skills to improve computer creativity.Read More

A Newsletter of worldwide activity of Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) October 2007; Vol. 2, No. 10 Lessons from the Field The Internet has the potential to revitalize the role played by the people in poverty and growth framework. It is a platform. The democratization of knowledge by the Internet has brought the enlightenment. We can see it happening before our eyes. Proof that nature and progress can coexist comfortably – very, very comfortably. This is WomensHealthSection.com – this is the pursuit of perfection. Science & Art: Simplified. Anyone, anywhere, can make a positive difference. Everyone matters. Everyone makes a difference. Working with the UN and UN System has been a joy and a privilege. It is the best of the best. Eventually it all boils down to: How can we eradicate poverty, improve standard of living for the citizens of the world and eliminate diseases. Statistics may allow us to draw conclusions, but they seldom motivate us to make commitments. Words have the extraordinary power to change our thinking, our emotions, to affect our attitudes and alter results. You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself. As a society, we are getting better – networked democracy is taking hold. The name “United Nations”, coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was first used in the “Declaration by United Nations” of 1 January 1942, during the Second World War, when representatives of 26 nations pledged their governments to continue fighting together against the Axis Powers. The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and a majority of other signatories. United Nations Day is celebrated on 24 October each year. On 24 October 2007 WomensHealthSection.com celebrates its 5th anniversary – the journey continues. It also represents both your passion for knowledge and love of humanity. The language of kindness is understood by all. We think you will want to make sure that WHEC Update is part of your reading. And there is more. I remember as a child saying that my true heart was to work with the United Nations. So many people are not happy or do not know what they want to do with their lives. It is something I am grateful for. When I work on WomenHealthSection.com or on any other project with the United Nations, it is really not work for me – it is an extension of my being. Regardless of where we came from, each and every one of us could and should follow our dreams. The perspective and predispositions that you carry around in your head are very important in shaping what you see and what you don’t see. One great teacher can change your thinking. Many great teachers can change your life. It has been a great honor and privilege to compile this journal with our friends and colleagues as we continue to embark this journey. We hope WomensHealthSection.com tempts you with the excitement and possibility. Beckons you. It calls you. This is where the story begins. Welcome to the WomensHealthSection.com team! The Lessons Rita Luthra, MD Your Questions, Our Reply: What are Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs)? What can we expect from the health components of PRSPs? PRSPs: Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers are national planning frameworks for low-income countries. All countries wishing to access concessional loans through the Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF), or wishing to benefit from debt relief under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative are required to produce a PRSP. As development cooperation continues to move “upstream”, towards program aid and budget support and away from individually funded projects, PRSPs are also becoming the framework around which some bilateral donors – notably the Nordic countries and the UK – build their cooperation programs. As of December 2003, 32 countries have produced “full” PRSPs. The nature of PRSP documents, and the multiple functions they are designed to fulfill, implies at least two important tensions. The first is between PRSPs as country-owned development strategies, and between PRSPs as, essentially, “funding applications” to the World Bank. The second important tension is between PRSPs as planning frameworks. One body of opinion argues that PRSPs should present a program based on need irrespective of available resources, while others believe that PRSPs should plan around available resources, ensuring that these are spent to achieve maximum impact on poverty reduction. PRSPs are multisectoral plans and their discussion of health is therefore limited. They cannot (and should not attempt to) replace existing health-sector programs, nor should they be expected to contain full details of a comprehensive health strategy. PRSPs should prioritize those health interventions most likely to improve the health of the poor(est) and help to reduce poverty. Drawing on work in WHO, the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and elsewhere, the framework developed for the review look for: 1) evidence for generic health interventions which are considered pro-poor; 2) specific targeting of the poorest groups or geographical regions, given the country context; 3) interventions in other sectors which can have a positive impact on health. Different combinations of these approaches may be appropriate in different countries. In many African countries, where the number of poor is excessively high, a general strengthening of health services in rural areas and a greater focus on the conditions that disproportionately affect the poor may be appropriate. In Latin America, where health services are better established, a more targeted approach may be needed in conjunction with universal strengthening of services. In either case, a pro-poor policy needs to be used on the country context. Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) hopes to strengthen the links between the United Nations and Civil Society on PRSP issues and in particular for a strengthened Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) – Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) axis. About NGO Association with the UN: Chairpersons of UN Committees and their views on various issues: The Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, Madhu Raman Acharya, was elected Chairman of the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) for the sixty-first session of the General Assembly on 8 June 2006. His views on various issues on Fourth Committee’s agenda are: The Fourth Committee has shifted away from issues of decolonization as nations gained their independence, and has taken on a more political focus. How prominent are issues of decolonization in this Committee today? As the main wave of decolonization is already completed, I wouldn’t say that decolonization is the most prominent issue. But certainly there are remaining issues that need to be addressed. The Committee is still engaged in a discussion of certain territories that are in question. That said, the United Nations has made significant progress in this area. A major issue that has emerged in the Fourth Committee is an investigation into the Palestinian territories. What are some of the challenges in working with issues in these territories? There are two sides to this issue. One is the question of Palestinian refugees, which the Fourth Committee deals with, and especially the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), with its reports directed to the General Assembly. This is quite challenging. The operations are messy, they are complex and they include both humanitarian as well as development aspects. The work is also difficult because of the complex political climate in the region. The other side of the Palestinian issue is the question of human rights, which falls under the title Israeli Practices in our work. We discuss the human rights situation of the Palestinian people, which has become very challenging as well. Because of recent events in the region, the issue has been highlighted, and we have had very intensive debates. In fact, we’re going to vote on this issue very soon. Israel’s representative has questioned the validity of the Special Committee assigned to track its activities in the Palestinian territories and in Syrian Golan. How does this affects the Fourth Committee? The Committee did discuss these issues at length and the delegation of Israel did, in fact, challenge the validity of these agreements that were reached. It is the Committee’s job to encourage all sides to conform to international humanitarian and human rights norms, and this is where the issue remains to date. While ideally it would be nice to have all Member States conform to the system that has been put in place, we do understand that certain delegations have reservations of their own national interest. However, we must not forget the fact that these situations exist-the practices are there; they need to be addressed. And if a large, universal body like the United Nations cannot address them, then nobody can. Have there been any other issues that really stood out to you at this year’s session? The issue of outer space, which should be used universally by all humankind, and not just by a few States-this is an interesting topic. Some Member States have also highlighted the effects of the atomic radiation tests that have been taking place in some territories. The gravity of both dictates that the United Nations, as a universal global body, should delve into these issues, so that they don’t later become confined to some Member States. Collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO): What is the efficacy/effectiveness of antenatal care and the financial and organizational implications? Health Evidence Network (HEN) synthesis report on the efficacy/effectiveness of antenatal care: Antenatal care, also known as prenatal care, is the complex of interventions that a pregnant woman receives from organized health care services. The number of different interventions in antenatal care is large. These interventions may be provided in approximately 12-16 antenatal care visits during a pregnancy. The purpose of antenatal care is to prevent or identify and treat conditions that may threaten the health of the fetus/newborn and/or the mother, and to help a woman approach pregnancy and birth as positive experiences. To a large extent antenatal care can contribute greatly to this purpose and can in particular help provide a good start for the newborn child. This report is HEN’s response to a question from a decision-maker. It provides a synthesis of the best available evidence, including a summary of the main findings and policy options related to the issue. HEN, initiated and coordinated by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, is an information service for public health and health care decision-makers in the WHO European Region. Other interested parties might also benefit from HEN. This HEN evidence report is a commissioned work and the contents are the responsibility of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the official policies of WHO/Europe. Details: http://www.euro.who.int/Document/E82996.pdf (pdf) Bulletin of the World Health Organization; Volume 85, Number 10, October 2007, 733-820 Table of contents Collaboration with UN University (UNU): United Nations University, Annual Report 2006: Science and technology are critical components of the development process. Rapid technological advances have created unprecedented opportunities, making it crucial that nations possess the ability to develop, master and utilize innovation systems that facilitate technological advancement. But the impact of this increasing technological capability, in terms of social and ethical issues as well as the broader societal impacts of technological change, are only partially understood. UNU work in the area of “science, technology and society” focuses on increasing our understanding as a means to bridge the burgeoning “digital divide” and ensure fair access and benefit-sharing. United Nations University operates as a decentralized, global “network of networks”. The UNU system comprises the following core units, which are assisted by 14 UNU Associated Institutions and hundreds of other cooperating institutions. UNU receives no funds from the regular UN budget; the University is supported entirely by voluntary contributions from governments, agencies, international organizations, private companies and foundations. For the 2006-2007 biennium, the overall UNU budget is US$88.0 million. While this represents an 8 per cent increase from the 2004-2005 biennium for the UNU system overall, the budget for UNU Centre was reduced by almost 15 per cent. Financing for 2006 came predominantly from core funding, with the rest representing specific programme contributions (78 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively). In 2006, UNU received investment income from its Endowment Fund, and operating and specific programme contributions from 14 governments and more than 75 other sources. UNU also benefited from counterpart and other support, such as cost-sharing support for fellowships and other activities. UNU system expenditures in 2006 were allocated 35 per cent for academic activities, 48 per cent for personnel costs and 17 per cent for general costs. Details: http://www.unu.edu/publications/annualreports/files/UNU_ar2006-report.pdf United Nations – Department of Public Information (UN-DPI): DPI informs a global audience about the activities and purposes of the United Nations. It communicates the complex work of the United Nations system through a multiplicity of outreach efforts and campaigns, including the United Nations web site, radio and television, press releases, publications, documentary videos, special events, public tours and library facilities, with the assistance of its 70 information components around the world. The head of DPI is responsible for United Nations communications policy, ensuring a coordinated and transparent flow of information on the work of the United Nations and developing a cohesive culture of communications throughout the Organization. The Public Affairs Division conducts promotional information campaigns on global priority issues, organizes special events and exhibits, arranges issue-oriented press activities, manages workshops and special programs for journalists, educators and other re-disseminators, provides partnerships with civil society, in particular NGOs, serves as an information resource about the United Nations for the general public, and organizes other outreach activities, including the guided tour of the United Nations Headquarters. The News and Media Division facilitates the access of news organizations and media worldwide to news and information about the United Nations and its activities. It puts our daily news via radio and on the Internet, produces other radio and video programming, provides live TV feeds and photo coverage of United Nations meetings and events, and provides press accreditation. The Library and Information Resources Division facilitates access to United Nations documents and publications through the products and services of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library, both directly and through its Internet site and its network of more than 350 depository libraries around the world. It also provides cartographic services and manages the publications and sales programs. The Office of the Spokesman of the Secretary-General, administered by DPI, is responsible for planning the Secretary-General’s media-related activities. The Spokesman, who reports directly to the Secretary-General, briefs journalists on a daily basis. Office of Legal Affairs (OLA): The Office of Legal Affairs is the central legal service of the Organization. It provides legal advice to the Secretary-General, Secretariat departments and offices and principal and subsidiary organs of the United Nations in the field of public and private international law; performs substantive and secretariat functions for legal organs involved in public international law, the law of the sea and international trade law; and performs the functions conferred on the Secretary-General in Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations and the Statute of the International Court of Justice. OLA deals with legal questions relating to international peace and security; to the status, privileges and immunities of the United Nations; and to the credentials and representations of Member States. It prepares drafts of international conventions, agreements, rules of procedure of United Nations organs and conferences and other legal instruments; provides legal services and advice on issues of international private and administrative law and on Untied Nations resolutions and regulations; provides secretariat services for the General Assembly’s Sixth Committee, the International Law Commission, the Commission of International Trade Law, the organs established by the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, the United Nations Administrative Tribunal and other legal bodies; discharges the Secretary-General’s responsibilities regarding the registration and publication of treaties and the depository of multilateral conventions. The head of the Office – the Legal Counsel – represents the Secretary-General at meetings and conferences of a legal nature, as well as in judicial and arbitral proceedings; certifies legal instruments issued on behalf of the United Nations; and convenes meetings of the Legal Advisers of the United Nations System and represents the United Nations at such meetings. Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS): Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS “Global Crisis – Global Action”: series continues Call on the international community, where possible, to provide assistance for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment in developing countries on a grant basis; Increase and prioritize national budgetary allocations for HIV/AIDS programs as required and ensure that adequate allocations are made by all ministries and other relevant stakeholders; Urge the developed countries that have not done so to strive to meet the targets of 0.7 per cent of their gross national product for overall official development assistance and the targets of earmarking of 0.15 per cent to 0.20 per cent of gross national product as official development assistance for least developed countries as agreed, as soon as possible, taking into account the urgency and gravity of the HIV/ AIDS epidemic; Urge the international community to complement and supplement efforts of developing countries that commit increased national funds to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic through increased international development assistance, particularly those countries most affected by HIV/AIDS, particularly in Africa, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, countries at high risk of expansion of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and other affected regions whose resources to deal with the epidemic are seriously limited; Integrate HIV/AIDS actions in development assistance programs and poverty eradication strategies as appropriate and encourage the most effective and transparent use of all resources allocated; Call on the international community and invite civil society and the private sector to take appropriate measures to help alleviate the social and economic impact of HIV/AIDS in the most affected developing countries; Without further delay implement the enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative and agree to cancel all bilateral official debts of HIPC countries as soon as possible, especially those most affected by HIV/AIDS, in return for their making demonstrable commitments to poverty eradication and urge the use of debt service savings to finance poverty eradication programs, particularly for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support and other infections; Call for speedy and concerted action to address effectively the debt problems of least developed countries, low-income developing countries, and middle-income developing countries, particularly those affected by HIV/AIDS, in a comprehensive, equitable, development-oriented and durable way through various national and international measures designed to make their debt sustainable in the long term and thereby to improve their capacity to deal with the HIV/AIDS epidemic, including, as appropriate, existing orderly mechanisms for debt reduction, such as debt swaps for projects aimed at the prevention, care and treatment of HIV/AIDS; Encourage increased investment in HIV/AIDS-related research, nationally, regionally and internationally, in particular for the development of sustainable and affordable prevention technologies, such as vaccines and microbicides, and encourage the proactive preparation of financial and logistic plans to facilitate rapid access to vaccines when they become available; Support the establishment, on an urgent basis, of a global HIV/AIDS and health fund to finance an urgent and expanded response to the epidemic based on an integrated approach to prevention, care, support and treatment and to assist Governments inter alia in their efforts to combat HIV/AIDS with due priority to the most affected countries, notably in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean and to those countries at high risk, mobilize contributions to the fund from public and private sources with a special appeal to donor countries, foundations, the business community including pharmaceutical companies, the private sector, philanthropists and wealthy individuals; To be continued… Top Two-Articles Accessed in September 2007: Poverty and Maternal Mortality; WHEC Publications. Dedicated to the Citizens of the World. Special thanks to WHO, World Bank and IMF for the contributions and forums. Gratitude is express to the UN Chronicle for the cover-page. HELLP Syndrome – Diagnosis and Management; Author: Dr. Baha M. Sibai, Professor and Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Cincinnati, Ohio (USA) News, Invitations, and Letters: UNITED NATIONS THE SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE ON UNITED NATIONS DAY 24 October 2007 The world is changing in the United Nations’ favor — as more people and Governments understand that multilateralism is the only path in our interdependent and globalizing world. Global problems demand global solutions — and going it alone is not a viable option. Whether we are speaking of peace and security, development, or human rights, demands on our Organization are growing every day. I am determined to ensure that we make progress on the pressing issues of our time, step by step, building on achievements along the way, working with Member States and civil society. That means strengthening the UN’s ability to play its role to the fullest extent in conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building. And it means invigorating our efforts for disarmament and non-proliferation. At the same time, we must redouble our efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals, particularly in Africa. I will seek to mobilize political will and hold leaders to their commitments on aid, trade and debt relief. And I will continue to do all I can to galvanize global and decisive action on climate change. The UN is the natural forum for building consensus on this pressing issue, as we saw in the high-level event held a month ago on the margins of the General Assembly. The many leaders who attended sent a clear message to the Bali negotiations in December under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change: this is no longer business as usual, and we must build momentum across industrialized and developing countries to ensure results. Protecting the climate for present and future generations is in the common interest of all. If security and development are two pillars of the UN’s work, human rights is the third. I will work with Member States and civil society to translate the concept of the Responsibility to Protect from word to deed, so as to ensure timely action when populations face genocide, ethnic cleansing or crimes against humanity. Finally, we must transform the UN itself. We must adapt to meet new needs, and ensure the highest standards of ethics, integrity and accountability, so as to demonstrate that we are fully answerable to all Member States and to people around the world. We will be judged in the future on the actions we take today — on results. On this United Nations Day, let us rededicate ourselves to achieving them. United Nations Charter: The Charter is the constituting instrument of the Organization, setting out the rights and obligations of Member States, and establishing the United Nations organs and procedures. An international treaty, the Charter codifies the major principles of international relations – from the sovereign equality of States to the prohibition of the use force in international relations. The Preamble to the Charter expresses the ideals and common aims of all the peoples whose governments joined together to form the United Nations: “WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, AND FOR THESE ENDS to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples, “HAVING RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS. Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.” The purposes of the United Nations, as set forth in the Charter, are: to maintain international peace and security; to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples; to cooperate in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and in promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; to be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining these common ends. Special Thanks: WHEC thanks Mr. Russell Taylor, Senior Editor, UN Chronicle, Educational Outreach Section, United Nations for his priceless support to our project / program in women’s health and healthcare. We at the Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) are grateful to him for his friendship and guidance. Thank you very much for everything. Beyond the numbers… People themselves must be at the center of health policy. This implies the need to communicate fully and clearly with the public.Read More

A Newsletter of worldwide activity of Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC)June 2007; Vol. 2, No. 6 Globalization, war, terrorism, social instability, disease, poverty and environmental degradation are among the key challenges facing the world today. In the health arena, individuals, institutions and Governments are taking action to address, issues of global significance, such as maternal mortality / morbidity, HIV / AIDS, pandemic and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), as well as bio-terrorism preparedness. To optimize these actions, there is a need for developing clear strategies for global health capacity-building at the national level. Envisioning adequate training for public health professionals is illusionary unless concerted action is taken to build their capacity. The development, testing and validation of global health training and action are therefore necessary in integrating theory, practice and policy domains. In WomensHealthSection.com we have stressed that attainment of these goals requires knowledge and skills, including networking and advocacy. What people see, hear and experience is often what drives passionate commitment to changing the public’s health. The outcomes of such initiatives have the potential for facilitating learning and teaching on critical health challenges in the twenty-first century. Given the breadth of global health, it is imperative that academic and field practitioners recognize as strategies the intersections of information and communication technologies, advocacy, and social capital (networks, norms, mutual goals). Health promotion and health education in schools is a pressing priority, and ensuring the right to health and education for all children is a responsibility shared by all. It is an investment that each society should make in order to generate and augment the creative and productive capacity of all young people and a sustainable social, healthy and peaceful human future. To quote the United Nations Secretary-General: “Individuals, by instinct, have the capacity to care. Institutions must learn how, and how best, to do so.” Developing Global Health Strategies Rita Luthra, MD Your Questions, Our Reply: How is agriculture linked with health? What is its significance to global public health? Agriculture and Health: It is well established that population health is strongly influenced by society and the environment. Social and environmental determinants of health include income, employment, access to food and social capital, and exposure to agents in air, water and soil. The recognition of the importance of inter-sectoral work to health is not new. The first step in the development of the framework is to identify the key health conditions and risks, diseases and groups of diseases, associated with agriculture. In the currently available literature, the following health problems – all of which affect the poor in developing countries – were identified as being linked in some way with agriculture: malnutrition, water-associated vector-borne diseases, food-borne disease, HIV/AIDS, livestock-related illnesses (zoonoses), chronic diseases and particular occupational health risks. The framework thus specifies and unites an array of key global health concerns, which interact when present in the same context. The conceptual framework can be used to advance inter-sectoral policy and practice in three main ways. First, it can be used to communicate to decision-makers and the international development and donor communities the importance of examining the links between agriculture and health. Failing to think systemically about these links may be undermining their efforts to improve agricultural livelihoods and address diseases of public health importance; avian influenza being one example. Second, it can be used encourage researchers working at the intersection between agriculture and health to come together to form a larger and stronger community. Microbiologists working on food safety, social anthropologists examining the impacts of HIV/AIDS in rural areas, and public health nutritionists concerned about the healthiness of the food supply many not think they have anything in common, but they do – they all work on the interactions between agriculture and health. Third, the conceptual frame work can be employed to encourage capacity building at all levels, including local settings. All stakeholders should invest in capacity building to help translate the conceptual links into comprehensive action on the ground. Agriculture influences health and health influences agriculture. The goal is clear: healthier people and healthier agriculture. About NGO Association with the UN: Sixth Committee: Legal – The essence in the functioning of the Sixth Committee lies on total consensus among United Nations Member States on resolutions dealing with wide-ranging international legal matters. The adoption of the Convention on Jurisdictional Immunity of States and Their Property concludes a long process of codification that started in the seventies within the framework of the International Law Commission. It represents a positive step that will be useful for NGOs to develop national legislation on the subject. Questions relating to protection of foreign shareholders and compensation for innocent victims of trans-boundary harm are also the issues raised in Sixth Committee. The Convention is legal tool that prevents a State or its property from being sued in any other country. The General Assembly also invited six inter-governmental organizations to participate in its work and sessions as observers: the Southern African Development Community; the Shanghai Cooperation Organization; the Collective Security Treaty Organization; the Economic Community of West African States; the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States; and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. Collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO): Building Strategic Partnerships in Education and Health in Africa: There is an insufficient appreciation of the importance of building partnerships between the education sector and the health sector in Africa. Such partnerships would facilitate meeting the dual goals of ensuring the participation of health professionals in the design and implementation of national health policies and reforms and the relevance of health professional education to societal needs. The assessment set out above led the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) and the World Bank to organize a joint consultative meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 29 January to 1 February 2002. Financial support for the meeting was provided by the Norwegian Education Trust fund managed by the World Bank, by WHO/AFRO, by UNESCO, and by the World Bank and World Bank Institute. The general objective of the meeting was to define strategies for constructive partnerships between the health professions, governments and other relevant stakeholders to improve their contributions to health sector reform. This report can be accessed at – Details: BUILDING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS IN EDUCATION AND HEALTH IN AFRICA (pdf) Bulletin of the World Health Organization; Volume 85, Number 6, June 2007, 421-500 Table of contents Collaboration with UN University (UNU): UNU’s Environment and Sustainable Development program probes issues of development, science and technology, environment, and their inter-linkages. Issues of poverty and inequality, as well as growth and employment, are at the core of UNU’s work. The University also examines globalization, technological change (information, software and biotechnology) and urbanization, and their implications for humankind. The global environment, natural resources management, and sustainable energy use and production are critical concerns. We are pleased to inform you that the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Centre, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN- DESA) and the United Nations University Office at the UN in New York (UNU-ONY), are co-organizing a panel discussion based on a joint publication of the African Development Bank and the OECD Development Centre, “African Economic Outlook 2007”.The OECD/AfDB African Economic Outlook 2007 foresees solid growth for Africa, but there are risks ahead. Africa achieved its fourth year of strong growth in 2007 and prospects are promising for 2007 and 2008. Strong commodity prices are underpinning this performance. Oil-exporting countries are outpacing the rest of the continent. They face the challenge of capitalizing on these windfall gains to build endogenous sources of long-term growth. Oil-importing countries face increasing inflationary pressures and potentially deteriorating current account deficits. Access to drinking water and sanitation is the topic of special focus for this edition of the report. In order for sub-Saharan African countries to reach the drinking water MDG by 2015, annual growth in the number of people provided with access to safe drinking water would need to triple. Financing remains a major issue. Governments need to strengthen the regulatory framework to stimulate resource mobilization and cover the scale of investments needed. The 31 countries examined in this sixth edition of the African Economic Outlook account for some 86 per cent of Africa’s population and 91 per cent of its economic output. Point of View: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) – problems of multiple diagnostic criteria GDM was originally defined to identify pregnant women who were at a higher risk (up to a 70%) for developing Type 2 diabetes (DM2), later in life. Despite four decades of intensive research, GDM is still fraught with nagging reservations about its current use, i.e., to predict a morbid fetal and maternal outcome in the index pregnancy. However, there is little doubt that it is a harbinger of DM2. The scourge of GDM is the lack of an international consensus on the screening, diagnosis and follow-up approach to GDM among the major pre-eminent panels. The American Diabetes Association, World Health Organization, the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, the Australasian Diabetes in Pregnancy Society, the Canadian Diabetes Association and the New Zealand Society for the Study of Diabetes suggest varied diagnostic criteria for GDM. Thus, a pregnant woman with a 100-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) result which classifies her as healthy and without GDM in Canada, on crossing the border may be labeled as having GDM in the USA, on the same OGTT test report. There are major discrepancies in the ability of these criteria, often established by consensus and expert opinion rather than being evidence-based, to identify women with GDM and their capacity to predict adverse pregnancy outcome (1). The results of National Institutes of Health funded Hyperglycemia and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome (HAPO) study should be available in the summer of 2007. This mammoth study may give the long-needed consensus voice to GDM, still a riddle, wrapped in a mystery and in the proverbial enigma (2). By Dr. Mukesh M. Agarwal, MD, FCAP Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine UAE University, United Arab Emirates References: Agarwal MM, Dhatt GS, Punnose J, Koster G. Gestational diabetes: dilemma caused by multiple international diagnostic criteria. Diabetic Medicine; 2005; 22:1731 – 1736. Agarwal MM, Dhatt GS, Punnose J, Koster G. Gestational diabetes remains a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica; 2006; 85:763. Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS): Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS “Global Crisis – Global Action”: series continues Encourage the development of regional approaches and plans to address HIV/AIDS; Encourage and support local and national organizations to expand and strengthen regional partnerships, coalitions and networks; Encourage the United Nations Economic and Social Council to request the regional commissions within their respective mandates and resources to support national efforts in their respective regions in combating HIV/AIDS; At the global level Support greater action and coordination by all relevant United Nations system organizations, including their full participation in the development and implementation of a regularly updated United Nations strategic plan for HIV/AIDS, guided by the principles contained in this Declaration; Support greater cooperation between relevant United Nations system organizations and international organizations combating HIV/AIDS; Foster stronger collaboration and the development of innovative partnerships between the public and private sectors and by 2003, establish and strengthen mechanisms that involve the private sector and civil society partners and people living with HIV/AIDS and vulnerable groups in the fight against HIV/AIDS; Prevention must be the mainstay of our response By 2003, establish time-bound national targets to achieve the internationally agreed global prevention goal to reduce by 2005 HIV prevalence among young men and women aged 15 to 24 in the most affected countries by 25 per cent and by 25 per cent globally by 2010, and to intensify efforts to achieve these targets as well as to challenge gender stereotypes and attitudes, and gender inequalities in relation to HIV/AIDS, encouraging the active involvement of men and boys; By 2003, establish national prevention targets, recognizing and addressing factors leading to the spread of the epidemic and increasing people’s vulnerability, to reduce HIV incidence for those identifiable groups, within particular local contexts, which currently have high or increasing rates of HIV infection, or which available public health information indicates are at the highest risk for new infection; By 2005, strengthen the response to HIV/AIDS in the world of work by establishing and implementing prevention and care programs in public, private and informal work sectors and take measures to provide a supportive workplace environment for people living with HIV/AIDS; By 2005, develop and begin to implement national, regional and international strategies that facilitate access to HIV/AIDS prevention programs for migrants and mobile workers, including the provision of information on health and social services; To be continued… Top Two Articles Accessed in May 2007: Uterine Cancer: Early Detection; WHEC Publication. Special thanks to Dr. Francis H. Boudreau, Chairman, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston, MA (USA) for the collaboration. Health Implications of Urinary Incontinence in Women; WHEC Publication. Special thanks to Roger S. Manahan, MLS, Librarian at Mercy Medical Center, Springfield, MA (USA) for assistance with the research. News, Invitations and Letters: Non-governmental organizations have been active in the United Nations since its founding. They interact with the UN Secretariat, programs, funds and agencies and they consult with the Member States. NGO work related to the UN comprises a number of activities including information dissemination, awareness raising, development education, policy advocacy, joint operational projects, and providing technical expertise and collaborating with UN agencies, programs and funds. This work is undertaken in formal and informal ways at the national level and at the UN. Official UN Secretariat relations with NGOs fall into two main categories: consultations with governments and information servicing by the Secretariat. These functions are the responsibility of two main offices of the UN Secretariat dealing with NGOs: the NGO Unit of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the NGO Section of the Department of Public Information. Formal interactions between NGOs and the UN are governed by the UN Charter and related resolutions of ECOSOC. In February 2003, the Secretary-General also appointed a High Level Panel of Eminent Persons to produce a practical set of recommendations as to how the UN’s work with Civil Society could be improved. The final report of the Panel has been presented to the Secretary-General in June 2004. Broadly speaking, NGOs may cooperate with the United Nations System in at least four ways: NGOs may receive accreditation for a conference, summit or other event organized by the United Nations. Such accreditation is issued through the Secretariat preparing the event and expires upon completion of the event. It entitles NGOs to participate in the preparation process and in the event itself, thus contributing to its outcome. For a compilation of all legislation regarding NGO accreditation and participation in UN Conferences and Summits from 1990 – 2001, please click here. NGOs may establish working relations with particular Departments, Programs or Specialized Agencies of the United Nations System, based on shared fields of interest and potential for joint activities complementing the work of the United Nations office in a particular area. For a list of NGO Focal points throughout the UN System, please click here. The NGLS Handbook also provides a wealth of information on Civil Society engagement throughout the UN system. International NGOs active in the field of economic and social development may seek to obtain consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). For requirements concerning consultative status with ECOSOC, please contact the ECOSOC NGO Section by clicking the link above. NGOs that have at their disposal regular means of disseminating information, either through their publications, radio or television programs, or through their public activities such as conferences, lectures, seminars or workshops, and that are willing to devote a portion of their information programs to dissemination of information about the United Nations, may apply for association with the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI). Please click here for additional information. Whether affiliated with the United Nations system or not, NGOs can obtain United Nations public information materials from the United Nations Information Centers in countries of their operations (http://www.un.org/aroundworld/unics) . They can also access the UN information on the web at www.un.org Further information on the role of NGOs at the UN can be found on the Global Policy Forum website. Special Thanks: WHEC thanks Mr. Horst Rutsch writer / editor, UN Chronicle, Educational Outreach Section for his priceless support. Thanks for being a friend. It is indeed our privilege to work with you. Beyond the numbers… Your thoughts are heaven above you; Your thoughts are hell below; Bliss is not except in thinking, Torment naught but thought can know; Dwell in thoughts upon the grandest – And the grandest you shall be; Fix your mind upon the highest, And the highest you shall be.Read More

A Newsletter of worldwide activity of Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC)July 2007; Vol. 2, No. 7 Before & After Issue Our annual Before & After issue, perhaps more than any other issue through the year, reaffirms our belief in possibility. The role of the health sector in reducing maternal mortality is to ensure the availability of good-quality essential services to all women during pregnancy and childbirth. No single player has the funding, research and delivery capabilities required to solve problems on a global scale. With increasing globalization and the many problems being faced by all, particularly developing countries, it is clear that alliances and the pooling of knowledge play a central role in development. It is our belief that a global research alliance will foster dialogue within and across various international organizations and will generally encourages international cooperation in the field of science and technology. 20 million readers; 170 countries; 1 address – WomensHealthSection.com – allow us the opportunity to present the most popular publication in women’s health. We had started this publication with only 5 Sections in 2002 and by the end of 2007 we will have 15 Sections dealing with various aspects of women’s health and healthcare. Carve your own path. Start your unique experience with the Editorial Board, Advisory Council and Physician’s Board of WomensHealthSection.com, where the experience is everything. Everyday, a physician defines the practice of medicine to healthcare consumers. Every interaction with a patient determines the perspectives that patients comes away with, and that moment, that perspective has the potential to endure for a lifetime. An enduring moment in the healthcare experience. In 2002 when we started this project, we did not have much, just a computer and a dream. And the computer was the easy part. Now we hope and plan on making second part easier for the next generation. Obstacles that limit women’s access to healthcare – such as distance from home to appropriate health facilities, lack of transport, and financial and social barriers – must be removed. Legislation that supports women’s access to care must be formulated. The support of families and communities is the key to reducing maternal mortality. Input from a wide range of groups and individuals is therefore essential, including community leaders, women’s groups, youth groups, other local associations, and healthcare professionals. I can’t wait to get started. Perfection is black & white; there is no gray. WomensHealthSection.com is designed with such clarity, proving a clear distinction and mark of excellence. As far as vision extends, from USA to Australia, such precision brings with it peace of mind founded on a legacy of achievement and recognition of a simple truth – a knowledge pool for global good. So come along with us and be inspired. The Gateway Rita Luthra, MD Your Questions, Our Reply: Are there racial and ethnic disparities in women’s health in USA? What are the recommendations of WHEC in this area? Understanding Health Disparities: Approximately 44 million women in the United States, nearly one third of all women, are of racial and ethnic minority groups. African-American women and women of Hispanic origin together comprise roughly one quarter of the total population of U.S. women. The largest segment of the immigrant population in the United States is from Latin America. It is important to note that race and ethnicity are primarily social characteristics much more than they are biologic categories. Significant racial and ethnic disparities exist in women’s health. These health disparities largely result from differences in socioeconomic status and health-insurance status. Many health disparities are directly related to inequalities in income, housing, safety, education, and job opportunities. The current U.S. healthcare financing paradigm inadvertently may contribute to disparities in health outcomes. The United States is the only developed country that does not extend healthcare as a right of citizenship. Healthcare in US is driven by market forces; the ultimate goal of the healthcare business is to maximize profit. Access to health insurance coverage and care and utilization of care is significantly different for minority women. Uninsured women receive no preventive services and more than twice as likely as health-insured women to begin prenatal care late or not at all. Language and literacy barriers interfere with physician-patient communication and can contribute to culturally driven mistrust of the healthcare system and to reduce adherence to healthcare provider recommendations. Use of traditional or folk remedies can interfere with science-based treatments. Elimination of disparities in women’s health and healthcare requires a comprehensive, multilevel strategy that involves all members of society. Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) strongly supports the elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in the health and the healthcare of women. We encourage healthcare professionals to engage in the activities to help achieve this goal. We believe and are advocate of universal access to basic affordable healthcare. The desire for a healthier and better world in which to live our lives and raise our children is common to all people and all generations. About NGO Association with the UN: Chairpersons of UN Committees and their views on various issues: Mona Juul, Deputy Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations, was elected Chairperson of the First Committee (Disarmament and International Security) on 18 July 2006. Her views on some of the issues on First committee’s agenda: With so many nuclear issues in the news this past year, nuclear disarmament was understandably at the forefront of the First Committee’s work during this session. Several delegates expressed concern about the “dual-use character” of scientific and technological advancements, notably in the realm of nuclear energy. The First Committee recently approved a draft resolution on the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. In such high-stakes issues, where it only takes one party to endanger an entire region, how effective are measures that are not universally accepted? While not addressing the specific situation in the Middle East, in general terms, that measures which are not universally accepted are less affective than those that are subscribed to by all. This is why we can never give up achieving consensus resolutions to security problems, even if these problems are as protracted as in the Middle East. A Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, specifically condemning the recent nuclear tests by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, was adopted this year by a vote of 175 to 2. Many people believe this to be one of the biggest steps that the United Nations has taken towards a true nuclear weapons ban. In your view, what is the future of this comprehensive ban? A vast majority of States call for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Political realities in a few capitals will most likely prevent this from happening in the near future. Meanwhile, it is important to call on all nuclear-weapons States to abide by a moratorium on nuclear testing. Conventional arms-as opposed to small arms and light weapons, which have been a big focus in recent years-re-emerged as a topic of discussion during this session. What are conventional arms? How will the newly adopted “arms trade treaty” shape a UN strategy for modern arms control? This is an issue that must be addressed in the course of negotiating a possible Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Even if the ATT resolution were adopted without consensus in the First Committee, it would be of importance for the international community and for the UN that all States participate in the preparatory process for these negotiations. Collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO): About the Bulletin of the World Health Organization: The Bulletin seeks to publish and disseminate scientifically rigorous public health information of international significance that enables policy-makers, researchers and practitioners to be more effective; it aims to improve health, particularly among disadvantaged populations. The Bulletin of the World Health Organization is an international journal of public health with a special focus on developing countries. Since it was first published in 1948, the Bulletin has become one of the world’s leading public health journals. In keeping with its mission statement, the peer-reviewed monthly maintains an open-access policy so that the full contents of the journal and its archives are available online free of charge. As the flagship periodical of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Bulletin draws on WHO experts as editorial advisers, reviewers and authors as well as on external collaborators. Anyone can submit a paper to the Bulletin, and no author charges are levied. All peer-reviewed articles are indexed, including in ISI Web of Science and MEDLINE. Information for Authors can be accessed at: http://www.who.int/bulletin/contributors/current_guidelines.pdf (PDF) Bulletin of the World Health Organization; Volume 85, Number 7, July 2007, 501-568 Table of contents United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Program: Volunteerism acts as an effective gateway between the United Nations system and the global citizen. According to one definition of “gateway”, it is a network point that acts as an entrance to another network. That captures the essence of volunteerism. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Program supports sustainable human development globally through the promotion of volunteerism, including mobilization of volunteers. The first place to look for volunteer opportunities is in your community, by joining one of the national volunteer organizations or offering your professional services free of charge. Volunteers recruited nationally should have at least three years of professional experience; assignments usually last 24 months, but 6 to 12 months are increasingly common. For volunteering abroad, UNV recruits a great diversity of talents, such as professionals from various sectors, humanitarian aid specialists, senior business leaders and retired executives, expatriate professionals from the developing world, and information technology specialists. In addition, the UNV Online Volunteering Service connects development organizations and volunteers over the Internet and supports their effective online collaboration. For more information on how to become a UNV volunteer, please visit: www.unvolunteers.org United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): State of World Population: this year turns its focus on urban growth. It notes that in 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of world population, 3.3 billion people will be living in urban areas. This number is expected to swell to almost 5 billion by 2030. In Africa and Asia, the urban population will double between 2000 and 2030, requiring pre-emptive action to prepare for future urban growth. UNFPA’s State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth states that although cities have pressing immediate concerns—including poverty, housing, environment, governance and administration—these problems pale in comparison with those raised by future growth. Reacting to urban challenges as they arise is no longer enough: cities must plan ahead, with specific attention given to poverty reduction and sustainability. The report makes two underlying observations: poor people will make up a large part of urban growth; and most urban growth comes from natural increase rather than migration. Once this is understood, three initiatives stand out: Accept the right of poor people to the city, abandoning attempts to discourage migration and prevent urban growth. Adopt a broad and long-term vision of the use of urban space. This means, among other things, providing minimally serviced land for housing and planning in advance to promote sustainable land use, looking beyond the cities’ borders to minimize their “ecological footprint.” Begin a concerted international effort to support strategies for the urban future. State of World Population 2007: Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth is available – http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2007/presskit/pdf/sowp2007_eng.pdf (PDF) Collaboration with UN University (UNU): UNU-WIDER Conference – Advancing Health Equality. Measurement and explanation of inequality in health and health care in low-income settings: This paper describes approaches to the measurement and explanation of income related inequality and inequity in health care financing, health care utilization and health and considers the applicability and the feasibility of these methods in low income countries. Results from a comparative study of 14 Asian countries are used to illustrate the main issues. The structure of health finance in low-income countries, in particular the heavy reliance on out-of-pocket payments, means that the equity issues in finance are quite different from those of concern in high-income countries. Primary concern is not with the distribution of contributions to pre-payment mechanisms but with the deterrent effect of payments on utilization and the distribution of uninsured payment risks. Measurement of inequity in utilization of health care in low-income countries is constrained by the lack of reliable measures of health that can be used to standardize for need. Nonetheless, sufficient is known of the distribution of need in many circumstances in order to make inferences about equity from inequality in health care use. The empirical analyses demonstrate that, in low-income countries, the better-off tend to pay more for health care, both absolutely and in relative terms. But they also consume more health care. Health care is financed is largely according to the benefit principle. Assessing the distributional performance of health systems in low income settings therefore requires examination of finance and utilization simultaneously. Corresponding author: Eddy van Doorslaer, Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus, The Netherlands. (Details of the paper can be accessed from the link of UNU-WIDER on CME Page of WomensHealthSection.com) Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS): Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS “Global Crisis – Global Action”: series continues By 2003, implement universal precautions in health-care settings to prevent transmission of HIV infection; By 2005, ensure: that a wide range of prevention programs which take account of local circumstances, ethics and cultural values, is available in all countries, particularly the most affected countries, including information, education and communication, in languages most understood by communities and respectful of cultures, aimed at reducing risk-taking behavior and encouraging responsible sexual behavior, including abstinence and fidelity; expanded access to essential commodities, including male and female condoms and sterile injecting equipment; harm reduction efforts related to drug use; expanded access to voluntary and confidential counseling and testing; safe blood supplies; and early and effective treatment of sexually transmittable infections; By 2005, ensure that at least 90 per cent, and by 2010 at least 95 per cent of young men and women aged 15 to 24 have access to the information, education, including peer education and youth-specific HIV education, and services necessary to develop the life skills required to reduce their vulnerability to HIV infection; in full partnership with youth, parents, families, educators and health-care providers; By 2005, reduce the proportion of infants infected with HIV by 20 per cent, and by 50 per cent by 2010, by: ensuring that 80 per cent of pregnant women accessing antenatal care have information, counseling and other HIV prevention services available to them, increasing the availability of and by providing access for HIV-infected women and babies to effective treatment to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV, as well as through effective interventions for HIV-infected women, including voluntary and confidential counseling and testing, access to treatment, especially anti-retroviral therapy and, where appropriate, breast milk substitutes and the provision of a continuum of care; Care, support and treatment Care, support and treatment are fundamental elements of an effective response By 2003, ensure that national strategies, supported by regional and international strategies, are developed in close collaboration with the international community, including Governments and relevant intergovernmental organizations as well as with civil society and the business sector, to strengthen health care systems and address factors affecting the provision of HIV-related drugs, including anti-retroviral drugs, inter alia affordability and pricing, including differential pricing, and technical and health care systems capacity. Also, in an urgent manner make every effort to: provide progressively and in a sustainable manner, the highest attainable standard of treatment for HIV/AIDS, including the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections, and effective use of quality-controlled anti-retroviral therapy in a careful and monitored manner to improve adherence and effectiveness and reduce the risk of developing resistance; to cooperate constructively in strengthening pharmaceutical policies and practices, including those applicable to generic drugs and intellectual property regimes, in order further to promote innovation and the development of domestic industries consistent with international law; By 2005, develop and make significant progress in implementing comprehensive care strategies to: strengthen family and community-based care including that provided by the informal sector, and health care systems to provide and monitor treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS, including infected children, and to support individuals, households, families and communities affected by HIV/ AIDS; improve the capacity and working conditions of health care personnel, and the effectiveness of supply systems, financing plans and referral mechanisms required to provide access to affordable medicines, including anti-retroviral drugs, diagnostics and related technologies, as well as quality medical, palliative and psycho-social care; By 2003, ensure that national strategies are developed in order to provide psycho-social care for individuals, families, and communities affected by HIV/AIDS; HIV/AIDS and human rights Realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all is essential to reduce vulnerability to HIV/AIDS Respect for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS drives an effective response By 2003, enact, strengthen or enforce as appropriate legislation, regulations and other measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against, and to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by people living with HIV/AIDS and members of vulnerable groups; in particular to ensure their access to, inter alia education, inheritance, employment, health care, social and health services, prevention, support, treatment, information and legal protection, while respecting their privacy and confidentiality; and develop strategies to combat stigma and social exclusion connected with the epidemic; By 2005, bearing in mind the context and character of the epidemic and that globally women and girls are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, develop and accelerate the implementation of national strategies that: promote the advancement of women and women’s full enjoyment of all human rights; promote shared responsibility of men and women to ensure safe sex; empower women to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality to increase their ability to protect themselves from HIV infection; By 2005, implement measures to increase capacities of women and adolescent girls to protect themselves from the risk of HIV infection, principally through the provision of health care and health services, including sexual and reproductive health, and through prevention education that promotes gender equality within a culturally and gender sensitive framework; To be continued… Top Two-Articles Accessed in June 2007: Challenges of Cultural Diversity and Practice of Medicine; WHEC Publication. Special thanks to Bulletin of the World Health Organization and UN Chronicle for the priceless support. Pregnancy & Nutrition; WHEC Publication. Special thanks to World Health Organization and World Bank for its contributions. News, Invitations, and Letters: United Nations Volunteers (UNV) was created by the General Assembly in 1970 as a subsidiary organ of the United Nations to be an operational program in development cooperation. As a volunteer-based program, UNV is both unique within the United Nations family and in its scale as an international undertaking. It assigns mid-career women and men to sectoral and community-based development projects, humanitarian aid and the promotion of human rights and democracy. UNV reports to the Executive Board of United Nations Development Program (UNDP) / United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and works through UNDP’s country offices around the world. In any given year, some 4,000 UNV specialists, field workers and national UNVs, short-term business / industry consultants and returning expatriate advisers, comprising more than 140 nationalities, are at work in a similar number of countries. Two thirds are themselves citizens of developing countries and one third come from industrialized countries. More than 20,000 persons have served as UNVs since 1971. Graduate qualifications and several years’ working experience are preconditions for recruitment. Contracts are normally for two years, with shorter assignments for humanitarian, electoral and other missions. UNVs receive a modest monthly living allowance. Funding comes from UNDP, partner United Nations agencies and donor contributions to the UNV Special Volunteer Fund. Relations with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): Under the UN Charter, the Economic and Social Council consults with NGOs concerned with matters within its competence. Over 1,600 NGOs have consultative status with the Council. The Council recognizes that these organizations should have the opportunity to express their views, and that they possess special experience or technical knowledge of value to its work. The Council classifies NGOs into three categories: category I organizations are those concerned with most of the Council’s activities; category II organizations have special competence in specific areas; category III are those organizations that can occasionally contribute to the Council and are placed on a roster for ad hoc consultations. NGOs with consultative status may send observers to meetings of the Council and its subsidiary bodies and may submit written statements relevant to its work. They may also consult with the United Nations Secretariat on matters of mutual concern. Over the years, the relationship between the United Nations and affiliated NGOs has developed significantly. Increasingly, NGOs are seen as partners who are consulted on policy and program matters and seen as valuable links to civil society. NGOs around the world, in increasing numbers, are working daily with the United Nations community to help achieve the objectives of the Charter. What’s Next for the Internet? Perspectives after the Internet Governance Forum Inaugural Meeting: Two years ago, in March 2004, at the Global Forum on Internet Governance, held at UN Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Kofi Annan highlighted what in the beginning of the twenty-first century is more and more evident: the Internet has become, in a relatively short time, an essential instrument for modern society. “The Internet has revolutionized … the very fabric of human communication and exchange”, he said. “In managing, promoting and protecting its presence in our lives, we need to be no less creative than those who invented it”. Traditional ways of governance might prove useless in dealing with such a complex and peculiar entity as the Internet, but the increasing awareness of its impact on society at the economic, social, political and legal levels has in recent times brought issues of Internet governance into the spotlight. Many important issues are at stake, such as preventing or at least reducing the risk of an excessive fragmentation (“Balkanization”) of the Internet; protecting the rights of all the stakeholders, while defining their responsibilities; safeguarding end users from crimes and abuses; and finally encouraging every opportunity for further development. Details: http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2006/webArticles/120106_igf.htm Special Thanks: WHEC thanks Dr. Jean-Marc Coicaud, Director, UN University (UNU), Office at the United Nations, New York for his support to our project/program. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Academic Council for the United Nations Systems (ACUNS) and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Policy Innovation (New York). Thanks for the friendship and support. Beyond the numbers… Improvement begins with “I”.Read More

A Newsletter of worldwide activity of Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) August 2007; Vol. 2, No. 8 Publications are like people, in that, some have high impact and some are not. When someone requests us to publish his or her work in WomensHealthSection.com and / or WHEC Update, we try to make the experience a happy one. We do not intrude or change more than absolutely necessary. Words we dislike to hear from the writers / editors around the world: “I want to publish my work in WomensHealthSection.com but I do not know anyone there”. It is time to repeat the following: You do not have to know anyone at Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) to have your work seen by us. We see and read everything. If there is a reason to believe a work or research is right for WomensHealthSection.com or WHEC Update, I will personally see the work and accommodate reasonable requests. We do not change the message. We report. We love publishing ground-breaking medical research in women’s health and healthcare, and we hope you love it too. I look forward to discovering what I can do to help our fragile planet. It is urgent and vital that we consider public space to be a public good. You do not have to be a politician or a billionaire to help a fellow citizen. In the end, simple acts of humanity and justice can change the world. Leadership is not a mysterious art practiced by only a select few – it is the daily response of every man and woman who wishes to make a positive difference in the world and make it a little bit better place as a result of their efforts. Let us start from what they know, and build on what they have. Currently there is a worldwide effort to reduce maternal mortality in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce maternal mortality by 75% by 2015. In countries where the prevalence of obstetric fistulae is high, all curricula for trainee midwives, nurses, and physicians should include not only theoretical training on obstetric fistula prevention but also treatment. Epidemiologic research is urgently needed to identify communities with a high prevalence of fistulas and to determine the characteristics of women at high risk for bladder or urethral injury during childbirth. Our publications draw attention to the urgent issue of obstetric fistulae in the developing world and advocate for change. They provide essential, factual back-ground information along with guiding principles for clinical management and program development. We hope to contribute to the development of more effective services for women under treatment for fistula repair. We hope to motivate future research that will further enhance the understanding of reproductive health. We will only be able to attain the MDGs and reduce crushing poverty that is debilitating the lives of billions of people across this planet if we pool our resources and efforts for the common good of humanity. A global partnership for development must ensure win-win conditions for the rich and the poor alike. The Capacity to Care Rita Luthra, MD Your Questions, Our Reply: What are your views on gender testing and gender selection? How is WHEC addressing this issue in China, India and other developing countries where boy children are preferred? Sex Selection: The low value given to women and girls in some countries is reflected in a marked preference for boy children. The practice of female infanticide has also been documented in some places. Over the decades, this has translated into many practices that heavily discriminate against girls, such as neglect in feeding, education and health care. Over the last decade, the ratio of girls to boys in the 0 – 6 year age group has become increasingly skewed in a number of countries. For instance, India’s census revealed that the juvenile (0 – 6 years) sex ratio declined from 945 girls per 1,000 boys in 1991 to 927 in 2001, with some of the steepest declines occurring among the better educated and in economically better-off districts that also have greater access to commercial health services. Rapidly declining fertility and the trend to limit families to one or two children has increased desire of couples to have a boy. National records on sex ratio at birth in China and South Korea have shown similar rapid changes that are unlikely to be sustainable in the long term. The emergence and increased availability of ultrasound equipment, which can detect the sex of fetus early in pregnancy, has opened up the opportunity for the commercial use of medical technology to pre-select and terminate pregnancies of female fetuses, thus reinforcing the devaluation of girls and women. This is a conundrum which cannot be resolved by focusing only on medical technology. The most severely affected countries such as China, India and South Korea have all banned prenatal sex determination through use of ultrasound or pre-conception techniques. Such policies have so far been largely ineffective because demand continues to be high. Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) with various NGOs and civil society organizations are currently involved in large-scale awareness and sensitization campaigns and in organizing a broader social debate on the devaluation of females and the consequences of sex preference. Join us in our mission. About NGO Association with the UN: Chairpersons of UN Committees and their views on various issues: Tiina Intelmann, the Permanent Representative of Estonia to the United Nations, was elected Chair of the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) for the sixty-first session of the General Assembly on 8 June 2006. Her views on some of the issues on the agenda of Second Committee: In terms of trade and development, where do you think the United Nations has been most effective and where does it have the greatest potential to obtain results? The issue of trade is very complicated, especially since the suspension of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Doha round [these negotiations, aimed at increasing economic growth by lowering trade barriers worldwide, reportedly broke down because developed countries could not agree on dismantling their agricultural subsidies]. There have even been discussions as to whether we should still try to work things out and improve multilateral mechanisms, or aim at regional mechanisms, or just go bilateral. It is still clear that WTO is the central pillar of the international trading system and that a well-functioning international trading system would greatly contribute to achieving the Millennium Development Goals. I think it is not only the faith and understanding of Burkina Faso that we should have a multilateral framework, but I think it is the understanding of all of us, and we are trying to work towards it. Of course, it is very difficult. Trade liberalization is a very difficult issue and it is not only a North-South issue, it is also a South-South issue. How were higher oil prices worldwide reflected in the Second Committee and what were some of the energy issues discussed? Energy has become a very important topic. Oil prices are fluctuating; they were at a very high point during summer and now they have gone down a little bit. Oil prices go up and down, but we should also find a way to use other energy sources. We had a panel discussion on energy security where experts talked about solar energy and other alternative energy sources. This is a concern that we all have, because we cannot rely only on oil, and as we proceed I think more and more countries will pay attention to this fact. It also relates to climate change. A recent report published in Great Britain showed that climate change is not only about the air we breathe and the melting glaciers in faraway places. Climate change has very serious economic and financial implications. The report said that if we don’t address this issue now we are going to face tremendous costs in the future. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Message on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People — 9 August 2007: By resolution 49/214 of 23 December 1994, the UN General Assembly decided to observe 9 August as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People every year during the First International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (1994 -2004). In 2004, by resolution 59/174 of 20 December 2004, the Assembly proclaimed the Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (2005 – 2014) and decided to continue observing the Day every year during the Second Decade. This year’s observance will be devoted to honoring indigenous youth, languages and sacred sites. The United Nations commemoration in New York is organized by the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the NGO Committee on the Decade of the World’s Indigenous People. “Recently, the international community has grown increasingly aware of the need to support indigenous people — by establishing and promoting international standards; vigilantly upholding respect for their human rights; integrating the international development agenda, including the Millennium Development Goals, in policies, programs and country-level projects; and reinforcing indigenous peoples’ special stewardship on issues related to the environment and climate change. Our fast-paced world requires us to act with urgency in addressing these issues. As we do, let us be guided by the fundamental principle of indigenous peoples’ full and effective participation. Let us give life to “Partnership in action and dignity” — the theme given by the General Assembly to this Second International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People. On this International Day, let this be our motto and inspiration.” Collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO): An examination of the nexus of security, insecurity and health shows that security is a prerequisite for health. The many and varied ways that armed violence – including threats of armed violence – can affect people’s health and can be documented by formal studies; however, valuable data also exist in other reports, such as media reports. The health community needs to recognize that people’s insecurity is a massive global health issue. The foreign policies of donor governments should incorporate recognition that documentation, analysis and publication of data describing the impact of insecurity on people’s health can lead to the creation of policies to enhance people’s security. In contexts of poor security, public health interventions and the delivery of health care to the individual are more difficult to perform and less likely to succeed than in contexts of security. Violence – including the threat of violence – in such contexts results in injury, death, psychological harm, impaired development or deprivation. The primary purpose of the United Nations is to hold responsibility for a third level of security: international or global peace and security. Human Development Report 2005, Details: http://hdr.undp.org/reports/global/2005/pdf/hdr05_summary.pdf (pdf) Bulletin of the World Health Organization; Volume 85, Number 8, August 2007, 569-648 Table of contents Collaboration with UN University (UNU): Researching Conflict in Africa: Insights and Experiences. Parts of Africa experience violence and seemingly intractable conflicts. These violent conflicts have drawn researchers seeking to determine and explain why conflicts have drawn researchers seeking to determine and explain why conflicts are prevalent, what makes them intensify, and how conflicts can be resolved. This book examines the ethical and practical issues of researching within violent and divided societies. It provides fascinating and factual case studies from Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa. The authors provide insights about researching conflict in Africa that can only be gained through fieldwork experience. Publishing Agency: United Nations University (UNU). (http://www.oecd.org/dev/aeo) Point of View: PIERS (Pre-eclampsia Integrated Estimate of RiSk for mothers) – validation across conditions and clinical settings. Worldwide, pre-eclampsia (‘toxemia of pregnancy’) is a common cause for women to die during or shortly after pregnancy; at least one woman dies from pre-eclampsia every seven minutes. It is also the most common reason for babies who are otherwise doing well to be delivered prematurely to protect maternal health and safety. In many ways pre-eclampsia is similar to the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (‘sepsis’). Hitherto, the management of pre-eclampsia was guided by expert opinions not based on firm evidence. Therefore, the requirement is a clinical prediction model that accurately identifies a women’s risk for adverse outcomes, thereby reducing the risk for women while safely prolonging pregnancies remote from term (to improve fetal outcomes). This project is part of an integrated strategy to better understand and modify the mechanisms of disease in pre-eclampsia. We have surveyed Canadian practice, undertaken feasibility and pilot studies for this project, and, in the first 3 years of this project, developed an outcome prediction model that effectively identifies those women at risk for adverse outcomes. In so doing, we have found that instituting assessment and surveillance guidelines is associated with improved maternal outcomes in women with pre-eclampsia (Obstet Gynecol 2007). We have determined that many of the current criteria for ‘severe’ disease do not identify women at greatest risk (Hypertens Pregnancy [in press]). To validate the PIERS model we will recruit women in Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia who are admitted to a hospital (i) pre-eclampsia or (ii) other forms of pregnancy hypertension. We will also validate the model in general obstetric, rather than high risk, units. A further ‘mini-PIERS model’ has also been developed, and will be validated in Developing World settings (Uganda, South Africa, and Fiji) and will be used to identify those women who require transfer to higher level maternity care. Mini-PIERS has the support of the UNDP / UNFPA / WHO / World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development & Research Training in Human Reproduction. Both the full PIERS and mini-PIERS models will be used clinically (to guide management) and in research (in both clinical trials and basic science research), and will provide an evidence base on which to build future practice, improving outcomes for pregnant women and their babies. By Dr. Peter von Dadelszen Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of British Columbia Vancouver, Canada Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS): Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS “Global Crisis – Global Action”: series continues By 2005, ensure development and accelerated implementation of national strategies for women’s empowerment, promotion and protection of women’s full enjoyment of all human rights and reduction of their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS through the elimination of all forms of discrimination, as well as all forms of violence against women and girls, including harmful traditional and customary practices, abuse, rape and other forms of sexual violence, battering and trafficking in women and girls; Reducing vulnerability The vulnerable must be given priority in the response Empowering women is essential for reducing vulnerability By 2003, in order to complement prevention programs that address activities which place individuals at risk of HIV infection, such as risky and unsafe sexual behavior and injecting drug use, have in place in all countries strategies, policies and programs that identify and begin to address those factors that make individuals particularly vulnerable to HIV infection, including underdevelopment, economic insecurity, poverty, lack of empowerment of women, lack of education, social exclusion, illiteracy, discrimination, lack of information and/or commodities for self-protection, all types of sexual exploitation of women, girls and boys, including for commercial reasons; such strategies, policies and programs should address the gender dimension of the epidemic, specify the action that will be taken to address vulnerability and set targets for achievement; By 2003, develop and/or strengthen strategies, policies and programs, which recognize the importance of the family in reducing vulnerability, inter alia, in educating and guiding children and take account of cultural, religious and ethical factors, to reduce the vulnerability of children and young people by: ensuring access of both girls and boys to primary and secondary education, including on HIV/AIDS in curricula for adolescents; ensuring safe and secure environments, especially for young girls; expanding good quality youth-friendly information and sexual health education and counseling service; strengthening reproductive and sexual health programs; and involving families and young people in planning, implementing and evaluating HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs, to the extent possible; By 2003, develop and/or strengthen national strategies, policies and programs, supported by regional and international initiatives, as appropriate, through a participatory approach, to promote and protect the health of those identifiable groups which currently have high or increasing rates of HIV infection or which public health information indicates are at greatest risk of and most vulnerable to new infection as indicated by such factors as the local history of the epidemic, poverty, sexual practices, drug using behavior, livelihood, institutional location, disrupted social structures and population movements forced or otherwise; Children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS Children orphaned and affected by HIV/AIDS need special assistance By 2003, develop and by 2005 implement national policies and strategies to: build and strengthen governmental, family and community capacities to provide a supportive environment for orphans and girls and boys infected and affected by HIV/AIDS including by providing appropriate counseling and psycho-social support; ensuring their enrolment in school and access to shelter, good nutrition, health and social services on an equal basis with other children; to protect orphans and vulnerable children from all forms of abuse, violence, exploitation, discrimination, trafficking and loss of inheritance; Ensure non-discrimination and full and equal enjoyment of all human rights through the promotion of an active and visible policy of de-stigmatization of children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS; Urge the international community, particularly donor countries, civil society, as well as the private sector to complement effectively national programs to support programs for children orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS in affected regions, in countries at high risk and to direct special assistance to sub-Saharan Africa; Alleviating social and economic impact To address HIV/AIDS is to invest in sustainable development By 2003, evaluate the economic and social impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and develop multisectoral strategies to: address the impact at the individual, family, community and national levels; develop and accelerate the implementation of national poverty eradication strategies to address the impact of HIV/AIDS on household income, livelihoods, and access to basic social services, with special focus on individuals, families and communities severely affected by the epidemic; review the social and economic impact of HIV/AIDS at all levels of society especially on women and the elderly, particularly in their role as caregivers and in families affected by HIV/AIDS and address their special needs; adjust and adapt economic and social development policies, including social protection policies, to address the impact of HIV/AIDS on economic growth, provision of essential economic services, labor productivity, government revenues, and deficit-creating pressures on public resources; By 2003, develop a national legal and policy framework that protects in the workplace the rights and dignity of persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS and those at the greatest risk of HIV/AIDS in consultation with representatives of employers and workers, taking account of established international guidelines on HIV/AIDS in the workplace; Research and development With no cure for HIV/AIDS yet found, further research and development is crucial Increase investment and accelerate research on the development of HIV vaccines, while building national research capacity especially in developing countries, and especially for viral strains prevalent in highly affected regions; in addition, support and encourage increased national and international investment in HIV/AIDS-related research and development including biomedical, operations, social, cultural and behavioral research and in traditional medicine to: improve prevention and therapeutic approaches; accelerate access to prevention, care and treatment and care technologies for HIV/AIDS (and its associated opportunistic infections and malignancies and sexually transmitted diseases), including female controlled methods, and in particular, appropriate, safe and affordable HIV vaccines and their delivery, and to diagnostics, tests, methods to prevent mother-to-child transmission; and improve our understanding of factors which influence the epidemic and actions which address it, inter alias, through increased funding and public/private partnerships; create a conducive environment for research and ensure that it is based on highest ethical standards; To be continued… Top Two Articles Accessed in July 2007: Surgical Management of Lower Urinary Tract Fistulas; WHEC Publication. Special thanks to WHO for the assistance, and the World Health Report 2005: Make Every Mother and Child Count. Renal Disorders and Pregnancy; Author: Dr. Jonathan Slater, Pioneer Valley Nephrology, Springfield, MA (USA). News, Invitations and Letters: THE SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE ON WORLD POPULATION DAY -11 July 2007: The theme of this year’s World Population Day – men as partners for maternal health – focuses attention on the fundamental role of men in supporting women’s rights, including their right to sexual and reproductive health. Today, more than half a million women die each year during pregnancy and childbirth, 99 per cent of them in developing countries. Many more suffer serious complications that can have a severe impact on the quality of life for women and their families. Almost all of this death and suffering is preventable. As partners for maternal health, men can save lives. They play a decisive role in many respects. Husbands often make decisions about family planning and the use of household resources that influence the well-being and prospect of the whole family. The support of an informed husband improves pregnancy and childbirth outcomes and can mean the difference between life and death in cases of complications, when women need immediate medical care. And supportive fathers can play an important role in the love, care and nurturance of their children. Far too many women die during pregnancy and childbirth because their right to sexual and reproductive health is denied. The alarming spread of HIV among women is a tragic reminder that in many places, women do not have the power to protect their own health. When a woman can plan her family, she can plan the rest of her life. When she is healthy, she can be more productive. And when her reproductive rights are promoted and protected, she has freedom to participate fully and equally in society. Several countries have succeeded in significantly reducing maternal death rates in the space of a decade, when women gained access to family planning, midwives and backup emergency obstetric care. However, much more needs to be done to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of improving maternal health around the world by 2015. Partnering with men is an important strategy for advancing reproductive health and rights. And gender equality, another Millennium Development Goal, is most likely to be achieved when men recognize that the lives of men and women are interdependent and that the empowerment of women benefits everyone. On this World Population Day, let us all encourage men to become partners and agents for change, supporting human rights and safe motherhood in every way possible, thus contributing to creating a world of greater health and opportunity for all. Children Turn to the Canvas with Witty and Sobering Art to Empower Action on Climate Change. United Nations Environment Programme Honors Winners of its 16th International Children’s Painting Competition – World Environment Day 2007 http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=506&ArticleID=5592&l=en Ethics in Action: The Ethical Challenge of International Human Rights Nongovernmental Organizations. Edited by Daniel A. Bell and Jean-Marc Coicaud, Reviewed by Mark Gibney. It would certainly appear that participants in these sessions upon which the book is based learned an enormous amount from the enterprise itself. But Ethics in Action should prove to be very useful to others as well. For one thing, the exercise of raising the most elementary question that all International Non Governmental Organizations (INGOs) should face-how and why do we do what we do?-is something that is seemingly not asked often enough. This might also lead to another seldom asked question, which relates to the proliferation of INGOs. Is this such a “good thing”, or is proliferation an indication that more time, effort and money are spent on propping up one’s organization, but at the expense of “others”? Details: http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/issue1/0107p46.htm Special Thanks: WHEC thanks Mr. David Lazarus, Chief, United Nations Information Services, UN ESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) for the priceless support. Thanks for the friendship. Beyond the numbers… Together we can build a poverty-free world. Poverty is not created by the impoverished – it has been created and sustained by the economic and social system that we have designed for ourselves, the institutions and concepts that make up that system – and the policies that we pursue.Read More

A Newsletter of worldwide activity of Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) June 2008; Vol. 3, No. 6 We all follow a path, don’t we? We have a life to lead, and we have a choice to follow. Every mistake is an opportunity to increase competence. Once people have the information to understand the current situation, boundaries don’t seem like constraints but rather guidelines for action. Since the launch of WHEC Practice Bulletins in 2006, hundreds of millions of readers around the world have used WomensHealthSection.com in many ways. The web-site’s popularity has expanded in ways that few could have anticipated, and its community of users continues to grow and develop new genres. Hopefully, within the pages of our e-learning publication, you will find something to improve your experience of this ever-evolving project / program. And even learn a few things about Program Development in general. The greatest gap in life is the one between knowing and doing. The journey begins with the first step. Less than a decade ago, the biggest problem in global health seemed to be the lack of resources available to combat the multiple scourges ravaging the world’s poor and sick. Today, thanks to extraordinary and unprecedented rise in public and private giving, more money is being directed toward pressing health challenges than ever before, and thousands of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are vying to spend it. What kind of initiatives could improve the accountability of all institutions to people whose lives they shape? What initiatives could serve merely to undermine NGO’s useful and largely accepted role in holding business and government accountable for their actions? Stay tuned. May be it was the bold dream. May be it was the determination. May be it was crazy hours. No matter how we created WomensHealthSection.com, with a unique understanding of the things that matter most to you. We offer a personal approach to structuring and managing knowledge in reproductive health. It is designed to maximize opportunity for you and your institutions, supported by a depth of personal commitment and intellectual capital – that is rooted in over 200 years of experience. None of us forget where we came from or the values that got us to we are today. Public health education that is irrelevant to national health priorities and divorced from public health practice is useless and constitutes a lost opportunity. Our e-Health Network can serve as a platform for public health education reform. There is a clear understanding among the WHEC Working Group that new information and communicating technologies hold out the promise of changing how people access information, and a determination to use these technologies, in particular the Internet, to improve the condition of millions of disadvantaged people throughout the world. How to get there was and is a continuing challenge. Today, NGOs are involved in all stages of political processes with the UN, influencing decision-making and policy implementation from the inside. These relations have, however, only been partially understood in the social sciences and reproductive health sciences. Health for all needs the participation of each and every one of us. Live your dreams. Reviving A Promise Rita Luthra, MD Your Questions, Our Reply: Can we expect full compliance and transparency from scientific, medical, clinical trial community involved in trials when so many interests are involved? What can fix the system? Standards of Clinical Trials & Research: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights [adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948] was a declaration of principles to which governments were invited to sign up. It is important that the declaration was issued because it provided benchmarks against which we think the behavior of human beings to each other should be judged. Governments are responsible for trying to ensure those principles are observed. But there will always be backsliding because the stakes are often very high, particularly the financial stakes for some players in this business. But something else is at stake too, and that is human health. It really does come down to a question on how you balance the interests of human beings who wish to improve and maintain their health, and what we can do about that, against other interest, such as financial, political and academic kudos. Governments can do various things to encourage transparency in clinical trials so that science and the discovery process can be more efficient. Too much secrecy exists in science, which makes it inefficient. There are forces operating against pushing for proper scientific behavior. This is not a problem limited to people with vested commercial interests. It also exists throughout academia, where people do not systematically access what is known already before embarking on new research. It is important to repeatedly remind oneself that the clinical trials business should be about trying to improve health care and the health of people. But as long as distortions exist in the research design and reporting processes, we won’t have done as well as we could for the public interest. World Health Organization (WHO), as the leading health organization in the world, has a leadership role to set the standards. Quite rightly, WHO points out that greater transparency in clinical trials is a moral issue; and that it is a matter of moral concern that the trial process is not more transparent. WomensHealthSection.com is an educational resource helping people understand why trials are necessary. Our main responsibility is to introduce people to these principles. About NGO Association with the UN: The Millennium Declaration, signed by world’s leaders of 189 countries in 2000, established 2015 as the deadline for achieving most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The majority of MDG targets has a baseline of 1990, and is set to monitor achievements over the period 1990-2015. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria & Other Diseases TARGET: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. HIV prevalence has leveled off in the developing world, but deaths from AIDS continue to rise in sub-Saharan Africa. By the end of 2006, an estimated 39.5 million people worldwide were living with HIV (up from 32.9 million in 2001), mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, 4.3 million people were newly infected with the virus in 2006, with Eastern Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent State (CIS) showing the fastest rates of infection. The number of people dying from AIDS has also increased – from 2.2 million in 2001 to 2.9 million in 2006. The use of non-sterile injecting drug equipment remains the main mode of HIV transmission in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. Recently, injecting drug use has emerged as a new factor for HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Mauritius, but also in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and the United Republic of Tanzania. In Southern and South-Eastern Asia, people are most often infected through unprotected sex with sex workers. Over the past two years, HIV outbreaks among men who have sex with men have also become evident in Asia – in Cambodia, China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Viet Nam. In hardest hit areas, more than half of those living with HIV are women. Though access to AIDS treatment has expanded, the need continues to grow. Efforts to provide treatment for those living with HIV and AIDS continue to expand. As of December 2006, an estimated 2 million people were receiving antiretroviral therapy in developing regions. This represents 28 per cent of the estimated 7.1 million people in need. Though sub-Saharan Africa is home to the vast majority of people worldwide living with HIV (63 percent), only about one in four of the estimated 4.8 million people there who could benefit from antiretroviral therapy are receiving it. The magnitude of the problem is growing: Though 700,000 people received treatment for the first time in 2006, an estimated 4.3 million people were newly infected that year, highlighting the urgent need to intensify prevention efforts. If current trends continue, the number of people with advanced HIV infection in need of therapy will rise faster than treatment services can be scaled up. Care of orphans is an enormous social problem, which will only get worse as more parents die of AIDS. In 2005, an estimated 15.2 million children had lost one or both parents to AIDS, 80 per cent of them in sub-Saharan Africa. By 2010, the figure is likely to rise to more than 20 million. Several countries are making progress in providing a minimum package of services for orphans and vulnerable children, including education, health care, and social welfare and protection. But far more work is needed to provide a humane and comprehensive response to this unprecedented social problem. TARGET: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases. Malaria-control efforts are paying off, but additional effort is needed. Key interventions to control malaria have been expanded in recent years, thanks to increased attention and funding. A number of African countries, for example, have widened coverage of insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs), which are among the most effective tools available for preventing the mosquito bites that cause malaria. Preliminary results from household surveys conducted in 2005-2006 show that many other countries are advancing on the bed net front as well, though final results will only be available later this year. Still, only a few countries came close to the 2005 target of 60 per cent coverage set at the African Summit on Roll Back Malaria in 2000. A strengthened commitment from all concerned is needed if countries are to reach the revised target of 80 per cent ITN use by 2010. Countries will also need to ensure that coverage is more equitable. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 5 per cent of children under five sleep under insecticide-treated bed nets. And in rural areas of countries where malaria is endemic, the burden of malaria is often highest and ITN coverage lowest. According to the most recent surveys of 30 African countries (conducted from 2000 to 2006), children under five living in urban areas were nearly 2.5 times as likely to be sleeping under an insecticide-treated net as their rural counterparts. To meet the MDG target, the most effective treatment for malaria must also be made available to those in need. A significant proportion of the nearly 40 per cent of children with fever in sub-Saharan Africa who received anti-malarial drugs were treated with chloroquine, which has lost some of its effectiveness due to widespread resistance. A number of African countries have shifted their national drug policies to encourage the use of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT). But to get these medicines to people who could benefit from them will require better forecasting of needs and improved management of procurement and supply-chain processes. Around $3 billion are needed worldwide – $2 billion for Africa alone – to fight malaria in countries hardest hit by the disease. International funding for malaria control has risen more than tenfold over the past decade, but the amount available in 2004 was still only around $600 million. The incidence of tuberculosis is leveling off globally, but the number of new cases is still rising. Collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO): WHO: 61st Session of the World Health Assembly The World Health Organization (WHO) held its 61st World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva from 19-24 May 2008, bringing together 2,704 participants from 190 nations to tackle longstanding, new and looming threats to global public health. The 61st session discussed a number of issues, adopted several resolutions and established a key strategy for removing intellectual property barriers to essential research and development for public health, entitled a Global strategy on public health, innovation and intellectual property. The strategy will use innovative methods to encourage research, development and access to medicines for the common diseases of the developing world. The Health Assembly also: Endorsed a six-year action plan to tackle non-communicable diseases, now the leading threats to human health; Called upon WHO to present at the World Health Assembly in 2010 a draft global strategy to reduce harmful use of alcohol; Adopted a resolution urging Member States to take decisive action to address health impacts from climate change; Committed Member States to accelerating action towards the elimination of the practice of female genital mutilation through laws and educational and community efforts. Directed WHO to help countries in reaching higher coverage of immunization and to encourage development of new vaccines; and Requested WHO to assess the health aspects in migrant environments and to explore options to improve the health of migrants. Details: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2008/wha61/en/index.html Bulletin of the World Health Organization; Volume 86, Number 6, June 2008, 417-496 Table of contents Collaboration with UN University (UNU): UNU-WIDER (World Institute for Development Economics Research) Expert Series on Health Economics: The World Distribution of Household Wealth There has been much recent research on the world distribution of income, but also growing recognition of the importance of other contributions to well-being, including those of household wealth. Wealth is important in providing security and opportunity, particularly in poorer countries that lack full social safety nets and adequate facilities for borrowing and lending. We find, however, that it is precisely in the latter countries where household wealth is the lowest, both in absolute and relative terms. Globally, wealth is more concentrated than income both on an individual and national basis. Roughly 30 per cent of world wealth is found in each of North America, Europe, and the rich Asian-Pacific countries. These areas account for virtually all of the world’s top 1 per cent of wealth holders. On an official exchange rate basis India accounts for about a quarter of the adults in the bottom three global wealth deciles while China provides about a third of those in the fourth to eighth deciles. If current growth trends continue, India, China and the transition countries will move up in the global distribution, and the lower deciles will be increasingly dominated by countries in Africa, Latin American and poor parts of the Asian-Pacific region. Thus wealth may continue to be lowest in areas where it is needed the most. Research on economic inequality–both within countries and between countries–is usually framed in terms of differences in income or consumption. In recent years a number of studies have extended this line of work to the global stage, by attempting to estimate the world distribution of income: see, for example Bourguignon and Morrison (2002), and Milanovic (2002, 2005). The findings document the very high disparity of living standards amongst the world’s citizens, but indicate that the rising inequality seen within many countries in recent decades has not led to a clear upward trend in global income inequality. The lack of trend is due to the rapid increase of incomes in certain developing countries, of which China is by far the most important. Household wealth is important for a number of reasons. First, it provides a means of raising long term consumption, either directly by dissaving, or indirectly via the income stream of investment returns to assets. Second, by enabling consumption smoothing, ownership of wealth helps to insulate households against adverse events, especially those that lead to a reduction in income, such as ill health, unemployment, or simply growing old. Thirdly, household wealth provides a source of finance for informal sector and entrepreneurial activities, either directly or by use as collateral for business loans. These motives are less compelling in countries that have good state pension arrangements, adequate social safety nets and well developed source of business finance. By the same token, private wealth has more significance in countries which lack these facilities, which is the case in much of the developing world. Thus, as our results will make evident, household wealth tends to be lower in precisely those countries where it is needed most. Discussion Paper No. 2008/03; By James B. Davies, Susanna Sandström, Anthony Shorrocks, and Edward N. Wolff (Details of the paper can be accessed from the link of UNU-WIDER on CME Page of WomensHealthSection.com) United Nations Charter: We the Peoples of the United Nations …. United for a Better World (Continued) CHAPTER VIII REGIONAL ARRANGEMENTS Article 52 Nothing in the present Charter precludes the existence of regional arrangements or agencies for dealing with such matters relating to the maintenance of international peace and security as are appropriate for regional action provided that such arrangements or agencies and their activities are consistent with the Purposes and Principles of the United Nations. The Members of the United Nations entering into such arrangements or constituting such agencies shall make every effort to achieve pacific settlement of local disputes through such regional arrangements or by such regional agencies before referring them to the Security Council. The Security Council shall encourage the development of pacific settlement of local disputes through such regional arrangements or by such regional agencies either on the initiative of the states concerned or by reference from the Security Council. This Article in no way impairs the application of Articles 34 and 35. Article 53 The Security Council shall, where appropriate, utilize such regional arrangements or agencies for enforcement action under its authority. But no enforcement action shall be taken under regional arrangements or by regional agencies without the authorization of the Security Council, with the exception of measures against any enemy state, as defined in paragraph 2 of this Article, provided for pursuant to Article 107 or in regional arrangements directed against renewal of aggressive policy on the part of any such state, until such time as the Organization may, on request of the Governments concerned, be charged with the responsibility for preventing further aggression by such a state. The term enemy state as used in paragraph 1 of this Article applies to any state which during the Second World War has been an enemy of any signatory of the present Charter. Article 54 The Security Council shall at all times be kept fully informed of activities undertaken or in contemplation under regional arrangements or by regional agencies for the maintenance of international peace and security. CHAPTER IX INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CO-OPERATION Article 55 With a view to the creation of conditions of stability and well-being which are necessary for peaceful and friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, the United Nations shall promote: higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development; solutions of international economic, social, health, and related problems; and international cultural and educational cooperation; and universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion. Article 56 All Members pledge themselves to take joint and separate action in co-operation with the Organization for the achievement of the purposes set forth in Article 55. Article 57 The various specialized agencies, established by intergovernmental agreement and having wide international responsibilities, as defined in their basic instruments, in economic, social, cultural, educational, health, and related fields, shall be brought into relationship with the United Nations in accordance with the provisions of Article 63. Such agencies thus brought into relationship with the United Nations are hereinafter referred to as specialized agencies. Article 58 The Organization shall make recommendations for the co-ordination of the policies and activities of the specialized agencies. Article 59 The Organization shall, where appropriate, initiate negotiations among the states concerned for the creation of any new specialized agencies required for the accomplishment of the purposes set forth in Article 55. Article 60 Responsibility for the discharge of the functions of the Organization set forth in this Chapter shall be vested in the General Assembly and, under the authority of the General Assembly, in the Economic and Social Council, which shall have for this purpose the powers set forth in Chapter X. To be continued… Top Two Articles Accessed in May 2008: Neural Tube Defects Screening; WHEC Publications. Special thanks to World Health Organization for the contributions Vesico-Vaginal Fistula: The Need for Safe Motherhood Practices in India; Author: Dr. S. Kataria, Director General Health Services (Union Territories), India News, Invitations and Letters: THEMATIC DEBATE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS The Debate took place from the 1st to the 4th of April 2008. This summary is brought to you by the President of the General Assembly. The United Nations General Assembly held a thematic debate on the Millennium Development Goals at United Nations headquarters, New York on 1-4 April, 2008 on the theme ” Recognizing the achievements, addressing the challenges and getting back on track to achieve the MDGs by 2015″. The meeting consisted of an opening session, three panel discussions and a wrap-up session on 1 April, 2008, followed by a debate in the General Assembly from 2-4 April, 2008. The panel focused on the poverty and huger, education and health MDGs where progress is urgently required and experience has shown that positive result can have a catalytic effect on the other goals. Link to the summary: www.un-ngls.org/docs/ga/summary_MDG_thematic_debate.pdf (pdf) Making Pregnancy Safer in Least Developed Countries – The Challenge of Delivering Available Services By Quazi Monirul Islam Although an increasing number of developing countries have succeeded in improving the health and well-being of mothers and their newborns in recent years, the countries that started off with the highest burdens of maternal and neonatal mortality and ill-health made least progress during the 1990s. In some countries, the situation has actually worsened. Worrying reversals in maternal and newborn mortality have taken place. Progress has slowed down and is increasingly uneven, leaving large disparities between regions and countries. Moreover, within individual countries, there are often striking inequities and differences between population groups. National figures often mask substantial internal variations–geographical, economic and social. Rural populations have less access to skilled care than urban dwellers; mortality is higher among slum populations within urban dwellers; rates can vary widely by ethnicity or wealth status; and remote areas often bear a heavy death burden. Unless efforts are stepped up significantly, there is little hope of eliminating avoidable maternal and newborn mortality. Details: http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/issue4/0407p69.html Special Thanks: WHEC thanks Dr. Phillips M. Sarrel, Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, CT (USA) for his priceless contributions, support and friendship. It is indeed a pleasure to work with you and hope to explore and develop various areas of mutual interest. The entire team at Women’s Health and Education Center (WHEC) had pleasant experience with you and we all thank you again. Beyond the numbers… Heaven sees as the people see; Heaven hears what the people hear.Read More