Editorial: Travelling with two business cards
Dear reader,
Two years ago, in a questionnaire sent to Network members within the process of developing a new Network Strategy 2016-20, the MMI Board framed the plan of launching a “Geneva hub” as follows: “The MMI Network explores and eventually promotes the establishment of a permanent hub for civil society health advocates at the WHO and, if feasibility is given, contributes to its implementation”. This proposal found good acceptance by the responding MMI members. It was then further discussed in a workshop at the MMI Assembly in November 2014 and reconfirmed by the Board at its meeting in January 2015.
On 26 January 2015, the idea of a “Geneva hub” was shared by MMI with potential partners at a civil society meeting before the WHO EB session in Geneva and found great interest among the participating organizations. Since then, MMI has been one of many organizations involved in the planning and implementation of the project. In a side-event to the World Health Assembly in May 2016, the “Geneva Global Health Hub” (G2H2) was formally launched as an association according to Swiss law, MMI being one its founding members.
Since then, the project has made some good initial progress and some new members have joined. With its website and Twitter account, the hub is now also visible, and with printed business cards and a promotional flyer we are able to approach further potential member organizations and invite them to join in.
We will not explain here the details of the project; you can read all of it on the “project documentation” pages of the G2H2 website. Let us just highlight a few things:
- The G2H2 project is a perfect expression of the aim of our Network to “provide autonomous, sustainable and stimulating spaces for the analysis and debate of global health and promote platforms for joint civil society advocacy, with a focus on the World Health Organization.” (Network Strategy 2016-20)
- It is with great enthusiasm (and a lot of work) that MMI hosts the G2H2 secretariat at our recently opened office in Geneva and that the two of us – Mariska Meurs as G2H2 President and Thomas Schwarz as G2H2 Executive Secretary – represent the MMI Network in key institutions of the new association. And it is a nice achievement and great sign of support that, with Cordaid, Enfants du Monde, medico international, and Wemos, already some Network members (and members’ members) have joined the project.
- It is quite a challenge for the two of us – including a bit of “learning by doing” – to distinguish between what the Medicus Mundi International Network will continue to do ourselves as networker, convener and voice of civil society “in Geneva” and what we can hand over to the new project. And it is right now the moment to sort this out, together with our colleagues in the MMI Board and G2H2 Steering Committee: in both organizations, we are planning the next year – and we are undertaking efforts to attract new members in order to sustain the organizations and to achieve the “clout” needed for implementing our ambitious plans.
- For the G2H2 membership, we have already done a promotional effort in a previous bullet point. For the MMI Network and its engagement (and working groups) in the field of global health governance and beyond, let us herewith do the same: there are (at least) six good reasons for joining our Network. We invite you to engage in our work , to support our activities and to become a member and co-owner of “Medicus Mundi International – Network Health for All”!
Mariska Meurs, Wemos
Thomas Schwarz, MMI Secretariat
MMI Network: Events, news, papers and resources
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Network promotion
Six good reasons for joining the MMI Network
“Medicus Mundi International – Network Health for All (MMI) is a network of organizations working in the field of international health cooperation and global health. The Network promotes access to health and health care as a fundamental human right and supports the efforts undertaken in this respect by its members. There are some good reasons to join in…”
> http://www.medicusmundi.org/mmi-network/community
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Network event: Cordaid
Promising strategies for building resilience of health systems in fragile settings
Vancouver, 17 November 2016
“The Royal Tropical Institute and Cordaid present an interactive session at the fourth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research in Vancouver, 16-18 November 2016. The session will give participants insight into how fragility influences health systems and what can be done to strengthen systems to better absorb future shocks. Evidence will be shared on how results-based financing and community-based participation strategies can contribute to resilient health systems. Participants will interact via a fragility game.”
> https://www.cordaid.org/en/events/global-symposium-on-health-systems-research/
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Network event: Medicus Mundi Switzerland
How to Best Apply a Human Rights-based Approach to Sexual and Reproductive Health
Berne, 22 November 2016 / 25 January 2017
“In recent years we have seen a renewed global commitment to a human rights-based approach to development and, particularly to the universal realization of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). There is a compelling level of evidence that the human rights-based approach has contributed to health gains of women and children. This workshop aims at closing these gaps by providing our network members with tools and better understanding of how best to apply a human rights-based approach to their projects and programs. The workshop shall be participatory allowing MMS members presenting their projects. In doing so we can learn from each other’s experiences.”
> http://www.medicusmundi.ch/de/tagungen/how-to-best-apply-a-human-rights-based-approach-to-sexual-and-reproductive-health
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Network event: Medicus Mundi Switzerland
Building on Success – Malaria Control and Elimination
Basel, 8-9 December 2016
“The Swiss TPH Winter Symposium 2016 invites medical and health sector specialists to review and discuss history, successes and future of Malaria control and elimination. Topics will include: Malaria Control History, Successes and the Way Forward; Vector Control; Antimalarial Drug Discovery; Extending the Use of Antimalarials; Malaria Vaccines; Surveillance and Health Systems; Country Issues, Technical Support and Capacity Building” (The Swiss TPH is a member of Medicus Mundi Switzerland)
> http://www.swisstph.ch/news-events/symposia/winter-symposium-2016.html
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Network news: DWA Cuamm
Aspen Award 2016: Ebola Research
“The prestigious Aspen Award 2016 was conferred on to the Fondazione Bruno Kessler in Trento for a study on the Ebola virus. Researcher Stefano Merler said, ‘The one that was awarded is the first of four publications we did on Ebola. In two papers published in BMC Medicine, with an expanded team that included researchers from Doctors with Africa CUAMM, we analyzed in detail the spread of Ebola in the Pujehun District in Sierra Leone and Guinea. In another work, which will be released soon in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, we propose use strategies for the Ebola vaccine in order to maximize the chances of containment for future outbreaks.’”
> http://www.mediciconlafrica.org/en/our-voice/news/aspen-award-2016-ebola-research/
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Network news: HealthNet TPO
Transformation of HealthNet
“HealthNet has embarked on a transformational journey for accelerated growth to be able to improve the delivery of her mission by providing services to a large group of beneficiaries. In the past year this process has led to a number of changes. We would like to take this opportunity to share these important changes with you.”
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> http://www.healthnettpo.org/en/1792/newsletter-october-2016.html
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Network paper: Health Poverty Action
Improving our image: how photos reflect our values
“The use of images has often been problematic and controversial in the development sector. Photos of starving children and helpless victims have been used to generate pity in order to raise funds- a practice commonly dubbed as ‘poverty porn’. This practice of victimising people is unacceptable to us at Health Poverty Action, and has never fit with our values. However, in taking a critical look at our images, we want to ask ourselves if we have gone far enough in portraying people with dignity, respect and honesty.”
> https://www.healthpovertyaction.org/news/improving-our-images/
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Network paper: Cordaid
3 key insights for success of Results Based Financing (RBF)
“It’s been argued that results-based financing is showing a new way of doing health care, to ‘reward health service providers — often with money — for positive results.’ Two responses to this would be that, first, RBF approaches have been around for over 15 years, and therefore aren’t new. Second, we’d like to see more emphasis given to the fact that RBF is a qualitative approach, contributing to health systems strengthening in a major way. So is RBF an approach that just focuses on paying for performance? Here are three insights that help complete the picture.”
> https://www.cordaid.org/en/news/3-key-insights-rbf-success/
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Network reporting
Annual Report 2015 of DWA Cuamm
“Don Luigi left everyone a piece of his history and memories. Now, it’s our duty to preserve his ‘special legacy’ made of relations, affection, commitment and love for Africa, so that Doctors with Africa CUAMM can continue its work to help the poor as don Luigi always wanted and did personally until the end. So in the end, the dots will be connected every time we work believing in our mission, even when it leads us to a less safe or beaten path.” Don Dante Carraro, CUAMM’s Director.
> http://www.mediciconlafrica.org/en/who-we-are/accountability/annual-report/annual-report-2015/
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Network conference documentation: Medicus Mundi Switzerland
Working in fragile contexts and building up resilient health systems
Basel, 2 November 2016
“To end preventable child and maternal deaths, create an AIDS-free generation, and protect communities against infectious diseases such as Ebola, we need effective, functional health systems that can deliver essential health services to those in need. International health organisations are more and more obliged to work in fragile contexts where the environment is marked by instability, the public structures are weak or quick to collapse and the rule of law is lacking.” (Documentation of the annual symposium of Medicus Mundi Switzerland)