Announcements

Research, Information and Training in Global Health Diplomacy in East, Central and Southern Africa

The 50th Eastern, Central and Southern African Health Community (ECSA-HC) Health Minister’s Conference held in Kampala Uganda adopted a resolution urging the ECSA-HC Member States to strengthen their capacity in GHD.
To implement this, the ECSA HC has developed an initiative to support strategic leadership in Global Health Diplomacy in East, Central and Southern Africa through a consortium of institutions under the overall co-ordination of ECSA Health Community:
1. Policy Dialogue, Leadership Support & Coordination be led by ECSA HC
2. Capacity building led by Kenya, Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, University of Nairobi
3. Strategic Information and Research led by EQUINET through TARSC, SEATINI
The regional consortium is interacting with the Global Health Diplomacy Network, to support the exchange of capacities, information and research; and to support linkages, such as for south-south co-operation.

EQUINEt has in 2011 produced various publications in the consortium available on this website. In March 2011 a course convened by University of Nairobi and Government of Kenya with consortium partners brought together senior officers from the health and related sectors in the East, Central and Southern Africa-Health Community region (ECSA-HC). The course shared information on Global Health Diplomacy, issues and challenges for GHD for the region and discussed institutional capacities and needs, information resources and sources at regional and country level support for Global Health Diplomacy. The facilitation at the course enabled participants to share and enhance their negotiation GDH negotiation skills. The course was developed in close cooperation between the School of Public Health-University of Nairobi, the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation Kenya, ECSA-Health Community Secretariat, the Regional Network for Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa (EQUINET), and the Global Health Programme with support from Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Geneva.

Launch of the Initiative on Supporting Strategic Leadership in Global Health Diplomacy in East, Central and Southern Africa

The Initiative on Supporting Strategic Leadership in Global Health Diplomacy in East, Central and Southern Africa was launched in Harare at the Regional Health Ministers Conference of the ECSA Health Community. The initiative includes
* Policy Dialogue, Leadership Support & Coordination led by ECSA Health Community
* Capacity building led by Kenya, Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, University of Nairobi and the South Africa Department of International Relations and Cooperation
* Strategic Information and Research led by EQUINET through SEATINI and TARSC
The report of the launch workshop is available on the website

KEEPING AN EYE ON EQUITY - AN EXHIBIT OF COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHY

EQUINET through TARSC supported community level health activists in eight countries with skills to use photography to bring out and display images of health equity issues from a community lens under the theme “KEEPING AN EYE ON EQUITY: Community visions of equity in health” . We used this process to strengthen capacities at community level in selected areas to use photo media to raise awareness and communicate voice on health issues. Images of health from a community lens have been displayed at the EQUINET conference in September 2009 and at the Global Health Research Forum in November 2009 with photogaphers were present to explain their work and actions to advancing health. If you are interested in this work or have experience to share, we'd love to hear from you! Please contact us at admin@equinetafrica.org with KEEPING AN EYE ON EQUITY in the subject line.

Wishing you a healthy 2012

The EQUINET steering committee wishes you all a good new year. We look forward to our further interaction in 2012 on health justice in our region and globally.

Global Health Diplomacy in Sub-Saharan Africa

New research grants to be announced in early 2012
How can African policymakers engage in global health diplomacy to achieve stronger health systems and better population health? To answer this question, EQUINET working with the Global Health Diplomacy Network and in co-operation with the East Central and Southern African Health Community will be investigating cases of global health diplomacy of particular relevance for Sub-Saharan Africa. The work will seek to understand important factors to be effective in defending public health interests in global health diplomacy, through policy level research. A call for applicants for research grants for this work will be made in early 2012, so watch this site, or inform us at admin@eqinetafrica.org with GLOBAL HEALTH DIPLOMACY IN THE SUBJECT LINE if you would like to be emailed the call

EQUINET Regional Meeting on the Equity Watch and equity monitoring, Cape Town April 26-28 2012

An Equity Watch is a means of monitoring progress on health equity by gathering, organizing, analysing, reporting and reviewing evidence on equity in health. The aim is to assess the status and trends in a range of priority areas of health equity and to check progress on measures that promote health equity against commitments and goals. Reports have now been produced in five countries - Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya and Mozambique and further work is under discussion in Tanzania and Malawi, available on the EQUINET website. We are also producing in 2012 a regional equity analysis covering the 16 countries in EQUINET. The work has been done in association with the ECSA Health Community and in dialogue with WHO and UNICEF. On April 26 to 28th 2012 EQUINET will hold a regional workshop in Cape Town South Africa that will include training on equity analysis; review of the country equity watch work and follow up country and district work; and review of the draft regional equity analysis 2012. We hope to support input to the dialogue on ongoing country work on planning, monitoring and research on health equity, including in relation to the regional resolutions and the MDGs. If you are interested in this work or meeting please contact us at admin@equinetafrica.org

Participatory Action Research for Universal Health Coverage

Call for interest in a workshop/ session on participatory research in universal health coverage at the next Global Symposium on Health Systems Research October 2012
In the first Global Symposium on Health Systems Research 2010, EQUINET working with partners in Asia (SATHI) and Latin America (CEGSS) convened a session on participatory action research. We would like to hold a follow up session to share information on the role of and knowledge from participatory action research in building responsive, equitable, people centred and participatory public sector health systems, in promoting the right to health, in challenging commercialisation of health, and in participatory pathways to UHC. If you have work to report using participatory methods that relates to directly this theme, from whatever region, and are interested in being part of a proposal / abstract for a joint session for the global symposium please let us know before 9th January at admin@equinetafrica.org with PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH in the subject line.

EQUINET partners with Partners in Population and Development and African African Population and Health Research Center

EQUINET is partnering with Partners in Population and Development, Africa Regional Office (PPD ARO) and African Population Health Research Centre (APHRC) together with the Alliance of parliamentary committees on Health in East and Southern Africa (SEAPACOH) to jointly organizing a meeting in Kampala, Uganda on September 16-18 2008.

PPD ARO is a southern-led, southern-run intergovernmental organization that uses south to south model to achieve its Vision of an African continent that meets its Reproductive Health needs promotes the Population and Development agenda and thereby addresses poverty, through South-South Cooperation. The Mission is to provide a platform for the promotion of and resource mobilization for Reproductive Health, Population and Development in Africa through three elements: 1) Policy dialogue 2) Networking and building strategic partnerships in the region and 3) Sharing of experiences and good practices. PPD ARO is based in Kampala, Uganda.

Learning network on participatory action research set up after the Global Symposium on Health Systems Research

Institutions in EQUINET and partners from India, Guatemala and Canada hosted two sessions on participatory action research (PAR) at the Global Symposium on Health Systems Research in November 2010. Following this, a learning network was set up that covers all global regions to facilitate exchange and dialogue on this work. Delegates suggested that a learning network provide a communication channel through a mailing list, a website portal to access resources for PAR, and opportunities for face to face meeting and exchange of learning. The pra4equity mailing list has been widened to include all those interested in PAR in and beyond the region, and information sent on the symposium discussions. For further information on the symposium sessions, or if you would like to be included in the pra4equity mailing list please contact admin@equinetafrica.org .

EQUINET definition of equity in health

In 1998, after reviewing many sources of policy and evidence now documented in the annotated bibliography in equity in health www.equinetafrica.org/bibl/) , EQUINET adopted a working definition of equity in health as

‘Equity in health implies addressing differences in health status that are unnecessary, avoidable and unfair. In southern Africa, these typically relate to disparities across racial groups, rural/urban status, socio-economic status, gender, age and geographical region. EQUINET is primarily concerned with equity motivated interventions that seek to allocate resources preferentially to those with the worst health status (vertical equity). EQUINET seeks to understand and influence the redistribution of social and economic resources for equity oriented interventions, EQUINET also seeks to understand and inform the power and ability people (and social groups) have to make choices over health inputs and their capacity to use these choices towards health.’

A deeper discussion of this definition and the concepts that inform it can be found in EQUINET EQUINET policy papers 2, 7 and 15 on this site at www.equinetafrica.org/bibl/policy.php. Please send comments, debate, input on this definition to us at admin@equinetafrica.org

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