public health

Lessons and Actions From the 11th Session of the UN Open-ended Working Group on Ageing

IFA Global Cafe: In Conversation with Ms. Margaret Gillis “The Lessons and Actions From the 11th Session of the UN Open-ended Working Group on Ageing”

As part of the 11th Session of the United Nations Open-ended Working Group on Ageing, the important side-event entitled “The Impact of COVID-19 on the Human Rights of Older Persons: An International Dialogue will unite UN officials and global leaders in the fields of ageing and beyond to address the need for a UN Convention on the rights of older peoples.

As an award-winning executive and innovative leader of the ILC Canada, Ms Gillis has contributed to a range of issues affecting all ages through a human rights lens. The IFA would be grateful to have Ms Gillis discuss how to strengthen the protection of the human rights of older peoples post-OEWG.

This Global Cafe takes place at 07:00 am (Eastern Standard Time) on Friday 9 April 2021 (additional time zones below):

Geneva, Switzerland: 12:00
Lagos, Nigeria: 12:00
New Delhi, India: 16:30
Perth, Australia: 19:00

This Global Cafe will be recorded and streamed live on Facebook. Should you be unable to participate, a recording will be available on the IFA Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/intfedageing/ and resources will be available at: https://ifa.ngo/ifa-virtual-town-hall-resources/

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-New York, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org.

COVID-19, Youth Livelihood, and Mental Health: A Global Youth Voice for Resilience and Recovery

COVID-19, Youth Livelihood, and Mental Health: A Global Youth Voice for Resilience and Recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted young people across the world. From decreased access to quality education to sudden loss of employment, young people are at greater risk of distress now. Urgent actions need to be taken immediately with better policies and practices.

Prior to COVID-19, mental health conditions already took the lives of young people worldwide. If necessary actions are not taken with better policy and practice, this public health crisis will put youth further into severe and prolonged psychological, social, and economic distress. Let’s learn from global experts and practitioners how we could address this issue best!

Register for our side event at the United Nations #ECOSOCYouthForum2021 now. Let’s together promote the positive mental health of young people!

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Mental Health, please visit ngomentalhealth.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. 

Women’s & Children’s Health and Well-being: Implementing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Amelioration of Non-Communicable Disease (NCDs) in the context of COVID-19

The Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the United Nations; Permanent Mission of Thailand to the United Nations; WHO Office at the United Nations, New York; International Council of Women (ICW Nations (CCCUN); Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women’s Association International are pleased to present a CSW65 parallel event:

Women’s & Children’s Health and Well-being: Implementing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Amelioration of Non-Communicable Disease (NCDs) in the context of COVID-19

Access to UHC includes physical and mental health and neurological conditions, the inclusion of mental health in primary care services, as well as the need for disaggregated data to develop comprehensive health policies and are essential to address mushrooming non disease worldwide (heart disease, cancer, diabetes, respiratory illnesses, and mental health conditions) especially for women and children. These must be addressed in the context of COVID the SDGs. Examples of successful and replicable programs and research from Australia, Europe, Asia, Caribbean, and U.S. will be discussed.

Moderator: Dr. Elizabeth Carll, UN New York Main Representative, International Council of Women; Chair, Global Mental Health and NCDs Work Group & Former Chair, UN NGO CMH; President, CCCUN

Speakers:

  • H.E. Mr. Courtenay Rattray – Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the United Nations
  • H.E. Mr. Supark Prongthura – Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Thailand to the United Nations
  • Dr. Nata Menabde – Executive Director, World Health Organization Office at the UN (WHO/UN), New York; Will discuss WHO and UHC next steps
  • Dr. Gita Mishra – Professor and Deputy Head, School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Australia; Will discuss large multi-national, multi-year women’s health study funded by government
  • Dr. Dana Crawford – Scholar-in-Residence, The Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University; Will discuss child behavioral health
  • Dr. Lyudmyla Porokhnyak, Chair, National Council of Women of Ukraine, Vice President, European Center, International Council of Women; Will discuss rural health outreach program

Audience discussion with Q & A to follow.

If you are interested in the event, please send an email to event4040@gmail.com by 14 March. You will receive a Zoom link a day or two before the event.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Mental Health, please visit ngomentalhealth.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. 

Covid-19 Vaccination: How churches can ensure that stateless people are not left behind

Covid-19 vaccination: How churches can ensure that stateless people are not left behind

Link to join the webinar on Monday 15 March @ 13:00-14:30 CET: oikoumene.org/live

As any virus, Covid-19 is an invisible threat which has changed our lives and affected our economies a great deal. The current Covid-19 pandemic has been a good reminder that the right to health is a universal right, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 25). It is a right that every individual is entitled to, irrespective of his or her legal status.

The pandemic is also a reminder that we need to work together as a global family to escape this global health crisis. This means that vaccination should be accessible to all, ideally as soon as possible before the virus mutates and becomes resistant to existing vaccines.

In these times of health crisis, governments have been confronted with difficult decisions to make, including avoiding economic disaster while at the same time finding a decent response to the pandemic. It is almost natural that their primary concerns are their nationals. Yet, there are many individuals living on the margins in their territory, such as undocumented migrants, refugees, and stateless people.

Stateless people, i.e. people with no legal identification, have been in most cases overlooked and forgotten. Invisible, yet living in our midst.

How can governments ensure that an invisible threat like Covid-19 does not disproportionately affect people and communities who have been always been overlooked and treated as invisible in other times? The pre-existing vulnerability of stateless people, i.e. their invisibility, put them at greater risk of being left behind when national public health campaigns (such as vaccinations) are planned.

How can churches and ecumenical bodies ensure that the vaccinations are accessible to all, including stateless people and other people undocumented people living on the margins during this time of pandemic?

The current pandemic is an important reminder that we are all equally vulnerable in the face of the current pandemic: Covid-19 does not discriminate, but our responses to it does.

Speakers include (alphabetical order):

  • Mr. Amal de Chickera, Co-Director, Institute of Statelessness and Inclusion
  • Dr. Ronald Lalthanmawia, Programme Coordinator for Prophetic Diakonia, Christian Conference of Asia (CCA)
  • Ms. Mira Neaimeh, Regional Executive, World Student Christian Federation – Middle East
  • Ms. Marcella Rouweler, Legal Officer, UNHCR Statelessness Section
  • Mr. Gorden Simango, Director, All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC)

The webinar will be moderated by Rev. Prof. Dr Cornelia Füllkrug-Weitzel, member of CCIA.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Migration, please visit ngo-migration.org. For more information on the Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, please visit rngos.wordpress.com.

An NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security Discussion: Spending to Increase Nuclear Danger

Join the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security as we discuss how in the midst of an economic and public health crisis, the US is set to spend hundreds of billions on new nuclear weapons which could never be used, add nothing to national security, and actually increase the risk of nuclear war. Funding for these extremely dangerous weapons systems will come up soon in Congress. The NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace and Security presents three leaders to clarify the key issues and discuss possible plans of action.

Register here!

Speakers:

Bruce Knotts has directed the Unitarian Universalist Office at the United Nations since 2008. Before that, he served as a diplomat with the U.S. Department of State with notable service during the Nairobi Embassy bombing 1998, Embassy Khartoum, Sudan, Regional Refugee Coordinator for West Africa and Deputy Chief of Mission in The Gambia. His final tour was in the Bureau of International Organization at the Department of State.

Dr. John Burroughs is Senior Analyst for the New York City-based Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy. He has represented LCNP in Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty meetings and negotiations on the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons. His articles and op-eds have appeared in publications including Fordham International Law Journal, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Arms Control Today, Newsweek, and Newsday.

Jackie Cabasso has been Executive Director of the Western States Legal Foundation, based in Oakland, California, since 1984. In 1995 she was a “founding mother” of the Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons, and she continues to serve on its Coordinating Committee. Since 2007 she has served as an Executive Advisor to Mayors for Peace. In the U.S., she is a National Co-convener of United for Peace and Justice. Jackie was the 2008 recipient of the International Peace Bureau’s Sean MacBride Peace Award.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Peace (Vienna), email its Chair,  Helga Kerschbaum at helga.kerschbaum@aon.at

Human Rights Council 46th Session

46th Session of the Human Rights Council: February 22 to March 23, 2021

The Human Rights Council holds no fewer than three regular sessions a year, for a total of at least ten weeks. They take place in March (four weeks), June (three weeks) and September (three weeks). If one third of the Member States requests so, the Human Rights Council can decide at any time to hold a special session to address human rights violations and emergencies.

Please note that in response to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, there will be no access to the Public Gallery during HRC46. We invite you to follow the Council proceedings live at the following link: http://webtv.un.org/live/

Read more about the Human Rights Council and access the slated Programme of Work for its 46th session here: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session46/Pages/46RegularSession.aspx

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@gmail.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee for Rare Diseases, please visit ngocommitteerarediseases.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit http://ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org.

[UN observance] World Pulses Day

Each year on February 10, the United Nations commemorates World Pulses Day. “Pulses, also known as legumes, are the edible seeds of leguminous plants cultivated for food. Dried beans, lentils and peas are the most commonly known and consumed types of pulses.

The nitrogen-fixing properties of pulses improve soil fertility, which increases and extends the productivity of the farmland. By using pulses for intercropping and cover crops, farmers can also promote farm biodiversity and soil biodiversity, while keeping harmful pests and diseases at bay.

Furthermore, pulses can contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing dependence on the synthetic fertilizers used to introduce nitrogen artificially into the soil. Greenhouse gases are released during the manufacturing and application of these fertilizers, and their overuse can be detrimental to the environment. Recognizing their value, on 20 December 2013, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/RES/68/231) proclaiming 2016 as the International Year of Pulses (IYP). The celebration of the year, led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), increased the public awareness of the nutritional and environmental benefits of pulses as part of sustainable food production.” – un.org

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com.

Families Coping with COVID: Challenges and Opportunities in Child Welfare

Families Coping with COVID: Challenges & Opportunities in Child Welfare
Please RSVP by 6pm EST Wednesday, Nov. 18th, via this form.
Families around the world are struggling with the added pressures of the COVID-19 health crisis due to the effects of job losses, changes in schooling, and affected family members, especially those which are vulnerable. For families involved in child welfare proceedings, there is an additional risk of prolonging family separation between children and parents who are capable but may need additional support. We are pleased to host Prof. Jane Spinak of Columbia University School of Law , who examines this in “Child Welfare and COVID-19: An Unexpected Opportunity for Systemic Change,” in Law in the Time of COVID-19. Prof Spinak will discuss the impact of covid on child welfare systems and ways in which it may spur reforms which will benefit children and families.
Note: If you were not able to attend our October members meeting, or would like to revisit the excellent remarks of our speakers, the recording is available on our YouTube  channel.
NGO Committee on the Family New York
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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family, visit www.ngofamilyny.org. For information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of the Child, please email the co-chair at marjones@nyc.rr.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN.

COVID-19 & Older People: The Urgent Need to Improve the Lives of Older Persons in the Wake of a Public Health Crisis

IFA Virtual Town Hall | COVID-19 and Older People: The Urgent Need to Improve the Lives of Older Persons in the Wake of a Public Health Crisis

Background: Over the past months, the challenges of social isolation, changing regulations, and adapting to a “new normal” have taken a considerable toll on the mental health of individuals around the globe – especially older people and those with underlying health conditions. In this IFA Virtual Town Hall, Mr. Dan Levitt, acclaimed international speaker, elder care leader, writer, gerontologist and Executive Director of Tabor Village in Canada, will discuss the urgent need to improve the lives of older people amidst the ongoing public health crisis.

This town hall takes place at 07:00 am (Eastern Daylight Time) on Friday 23 October 2020 (additional time zones below):

Geneva, Switzerland: 13:00
Lagos, Nigeria: 12:00 noon
New Delhi, India: 16:30
Perth, Australia: 19:00

Please note that this town hall will be recorded and streamed live on Facebook. Should you be unable to participate in this meeting, a recording will be available on the IFA Facebook page here.

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CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-New York, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org.
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