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