public health

COVID-19 and the Increasing Risks of Substandard and Falsified Pharmaceutical Products in Africa

Dear CoNGO members,

I am delighted to get in touch with you for the first time since the Brazzaville Foundation’s membership in November 2020 to the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO).

On the occasion of the upcoming World Health Assembly and Africa Day, the Brazzaville Foundation is pleased to invite you to an online high-level roundtable on Tuesday 25th May to discuss “Covid-19 and the Increasing Risks of Substandard and Falsified Pharmaceutical Products in Africa: A public health and security issue”. High-level speakers are expected such as Prof. Moustafa Mijiyawa, Minister of Health of the Republic of Togo; Michel Sidibé, African Union Special Envoy for the African Medicines Agency (AMA) and Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

If you are interested in taking part in global health and security discussions, please register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z0sYZHfPQnWICzmnQY2r0g. Simultaneous translation will be available in French/English.

We are eager to share this event with you and we look forward to collaborating together in the future.

Best regards,

Richard Amalvy, Chief Executive, The Brazzaville Foundation

À l’occasion de la 74e Assemblée mondiale de la Santé et de la Journée de l’Afrique, la Fondation Brazzaville réunira des intervenants de haut niveau pour discuter des enjeux de santé publique et de sécurité liés aux risques croissants des médicaments falsifiés et de qualité inférieure dans le contexte de la pandémie de la COVID-19. Traduction simultanée en français/anglais.

Background notes:

Poor-quality medicines can be both falsified and substandard:

  • Falsified medicines are deliberately fake medical products. Criminals manufacture, traffic and sell fake products to unsuspecting customers.
  • Substandard medicines can be the result of poor manufacturing and quality-control practices in the manufacture or distribution of the product.

Poor-quality medicines lead to death and illness:

  • Both fake and substandard medicines pose a threat to public health because they can lead to death, additional illness in individuals, the spread of disease within a community and antibiotic resistance.
  • The link between the traffic in falsified medicines and organised crime has been well established by intelligence services and law enforcement agencies. They are smuggled onto markets using the same routes and techniques as drug, weapon, or human trafficking.
  • Transnational organised crime also funds terrorism, destabilising countries and weakening state structures.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Drugs-NY, please visit nyngoc.org. 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 Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. 

COVID-19 and the Increasing Risks of Substandard and Falsified Pharmaceutical Products in Africa

Dear CoNGO members,

I am delighted to get in touch with you for the first time since the Brazzaville Foundation’s membership in November 2020 to the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO).

On the occasion of the upcoming World Health Assembly and Africa Day, the Brazzaville Foundation is pleased to invite you to an online high-level roundtable on Tuesday 25th May to discuss “Covid-19 and the Increasing Risks of Substandard and Falsified Pharmaceutical Products in Africa: A public health and security issue”. High-level speakers are expected such as Prof. Moustafa Mijiyawa, Minister of Health of the Republic of Togo; Michel Sidibé, African Union Special Envoy for the African Medicines Agency (AMA) and Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

If you are interested in taking part in global health and security discussions, please register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Z0sYZHfPQnWICzmnQY2r0g. Simultaneous translation will be available in French/English.

We are eager to share this event with you and we look forward to collaborating together in the future.

Best regards,

Richard Amalvy, Chief Executive, The Brazzaville Foundation

À l’occasion de la 74e Assemblée mondiale de la Santé et de la Journée de l’Afrique, la Fondation Brazzaville réunira des intervenants de haut niveau pour discuter des enjeux de santé publique et de sécurité liés aux risques croissants des médicaments falsifiés et de qualité inférieure dans le contexte de la pandémie de la COVID-19. Traduction simultanée en français/anglais.

Background notes:

Poor-quality medicines can be both falsified and substandard:

  • Falsified medicines are deliberately fake medical products. Criminals manufacture, traffic and sell fake products to unsuspecting customers.
  • Substandard medicines can be the result of poor manufacturing and quality-control practices in the manufacture or distribution of the product.

Poor-quality medicines lead to death and illness:

  • Both fake and substandard medicines pose a threat to public health because they can lead to death, additional illness in individuals, the spread of disease within a community and antibiotic resistance.
  • The link between the traffic in falsified medicines and organised crime has been well established by intelligence services and law enforcement agencies. They are smuggled onto markets using the same routes and techniques as drug, weapon, or human trafficking.
  • Transnational organised crime also funds terrorism, destabilising countries and weakening state structures.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Drugs-NY, please visit nyngoc.org. 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 Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. 

Building Global Momentum for Adult Vaccination Policy within COVID-19: Making COVID-19 a Springboard for Adult Vaccinations

The COVID-19 pandemic has unearthed an uncomfortable structural and societal ageism affecting the human rights of millions of people around the world. From hospital triaging guidelines to chronic understaffing of long-term care facilities, national health systems did not take the necessary steps to ensure that vulnerable people had access to life-saving health services, regardless of age or socioeconomic background.
Now is a critical time to collectively inform post-pandemic policies needed to recover and rebuild national health systems and consider investment strategies that prevent resurgence of infectious diseases and associated strain on health system capacity.
As part of a four-part series to build global momentum on vaccination within COVID-19, IFA invites you to the fourth and final webinar entitled “Making COVID-19 a Springboard for Adult Vaccinations.” Dr. Michael Moore and Dr. Monika Arora provide their perspectives on essential post pandemic multi-sectoral actions to keep on the agenda the critical importance of immunization for older people and those with noncommunicable diseases.
Register here!
Speakers:
  • Dr. Michael Moore, World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA)
  • Dr. Monika Arora, Non-communicable Disease (NCD) Alliance

This session 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 facebook.com/intfedageing and resources will be available at: ifa.ngo/ifa-virtual-town-hall-resources.

For any questions or concerns please contact zchouhdry@ifa.ngo.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee for Rare Diseases, please visit ngocommitteerarediseases.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the co-chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com.

Building Global Momentum for Adult Vaccination Policy within COVID-19: Making COVID-19 a Springboard for Adult Vaccinations

The COVID-19 pandemic has unearthed an uncomfortable structural and societal ageism affecting the human rights of millions of people around the world. From hospital triaging guidelines to chronic understaffing of long-term care facilities, national health systems did not take the necessary steps to ensure that vulnerable people had access to life-saving health services, regardless of age or socioeconomic background.
Now is a critical time to collectively inform post-pandemic policies needed to recover and rebuild national health systems and consider investment strategies that prevent resurgence of infectious diseases and associated strain on health system capacity.
As part of a four-part series to build global momentum on vaccination within COVID-19, IFA invites you to the fourth and final webinar entitled “Making COVID-19 a Springboard for Adult Vaccinations.” Dr. Michael Moore and Dr. Monika Arora provide their perspectives on essential post pandemic multi-sectoral actions to keep on the agenda the critical importance of immunization for older people and those with noncommunicable diseases.
Register here!
Speakers:
  • Dr. Michael Moore, World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA)
  • Dr. Monika Arora, Non-communicable Disease (NCD) Alliance

This session 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 facebook.com/intfedageing and resources will be available at: ifa.ngo/ifa-virtual-town-hall-resources.

For any questions or concerns please contact zchouhdry@ifa.ngo.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing-Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee for Rare Diseases, please visit ngocommitteerarediseases.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity, please email the co-chair at susanneseperson@gmail.com.

Indigenous Healing Ways for Mental Health

The Indigenous Health Subcommittee is offering a side event during the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Indigenous practices for physical and mental healthcare have always been used in their communities and there are now attempts to revive and promote them in the mainstream, even in the COVID-19 era.This panel will feature US-based and global young indigenous mental health professionals who will discuss the current utilization of traditional healing practices for mental health based on their experiences, and current research on effectiveness of indigenous treatment outcomes. It will foster dialogue between mainstream and traditional medicine practices, and their integration as the best way forward for mental health care services in general.

Join us on April 29, 12-2PM for an important discussion with our NGO Committee Members, Rick Chavolla (as the discussant) and Rashmi Jaipal (as the moderator), and our incredible panel of young mental health professionals, featuring:

  • Maria Crouch, MS, PhD(c) – Doctoral Candidate in Psychology at the University of Alaska and Pre-Doc Fellow at Yale School of Medicine, of Deg Hit’an, Coahuiltecan, and Scandinavian origin
  • Stefanie Gillson, MD – Public Psychiatry Fellow at Yale School of Medicine and Institute Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health, of Dakota/Mdewakanton and Swedish origin
  • Kyle Hill, MPH, PhD – Psychologist and Assistant Scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health (Great Lakes Hub) and Bloomberg School of Public Health, of Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota origin
  • Ningsangrenla Longkumer, PhD – Assistant Professor (Psychology) and researcher at the North Eastern Christian University, Nagaland, India, of Naga origin

Hope you can join us! Register here: indigenoushealing-mentalhealth.eventbrite.com

________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Mental Health, please visit  ngomentalhealth.org. 

Indigenous Healing Ways for Mental Health

The Indigenous Health Subcommittee is offering a side event during the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Indigenous practices for physical and mental healthcare have always been used in their communities and there are now attempts to revive and promote them in the mainstream, even in the COVID-19 era.This panel will feature US-based and global young indigenous mental health professionals who will discuss the current utilization of traditional healing practices for mental health based on their experiences, and current research on effectiveness of indigenous treatment outcomes. It will foster dialogue between mainstream and traditional medicine practices, and their integration as the best way forward for mental health care services in general.

Join us on April 29, 12-2PM for an important discussion with our NGO Committee Members, Rick Chavolla (as the discussant) and Rashmi Jaipal (as the moderator), and our incredible panel of young mental health professionals, featuring:

  • Maria Crouch, MS, PhD(c) – Doctoral Candidate in Psychology at the University of Alaska and Pre-Doc Fellow at Yale School of Medicine, of Deg Hit’an, Coahuiltecan, and Scandinavian origin
  • Stefanie Gillson, MD – Public Psychiatry Fellow at Yale School of Medicine and Institute Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health, of Dakota/Mdewakanton and Swedish origin
  • Kyle Hill, MPH, PhD – Psychologist and Assistant Scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health (Great Lakes Hub) and Bloomberg School of Public Health, of Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota origin
  • Ningsangrenla Longkumer, PhD – Assistant Professor (Psychology) and researcher at the North Eastern Christian University, Nagaland, India, of Naga origin

Hope you can join us! Register here: indigenoushealing-mentalhealth.eventbrite.com

________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Mental Health, please visit  ngomentalhealth.org. 

Grassroots Community-Based Research Findings: “Asks” to Strengthen Social Protection, Digital & Financial Inclusion, and Climate Finance in a Post-COVID-19 Era

Grassroots Community-Based Research Findings: “Asks” to Strengthen Social Protection, Digital and Financial Inclusion, and Climate Finance in a Post-COVID-19 Era

Register HERE by 5:00 pm EST on April 14

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda provides a global framework for financing sustainable development by aligning all financing flows and policies with economic, social and environmental priorities. The Paris Agreement provides the roadmap for climate actions that will reduce emissions and build climate resilience. Together they provide the most important global frameworks for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic tell us the frameworks have not translated effectively to those who need it the most.

This side event presents a critical look at how adequate the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement have been to meet their avowed goals at the grassroots level and effective compliance by Member States. It also presents the impact on Social Protection, Financial Inclusion and Climate Finance looking through the principle of “Leaving No One Behind.” Primary data that was gathered by field surveys conducted in 7 countries regarding Social Protection, Financial Inclusion and Climate Finance both before and during the pandemic forms the basis for policy “asks” to strengthen Social Protection, Financial Inclusion and Climate Finance. It will provide an opportunity to engage in “Hearing People’s Voices” impacted by the lack of adequate funding for social protection, financial inclusion and climate financing and reeling under the economic, social and health crisis caused by the pandemic.

Tentative Program Agenda:

  • Financing for Sustainable Development Office to share its perspective on status of delivering on commitments made under Addis Ababa Action Agenda including social protection, financial inclusion, and climate finance
  • Introduction to the Project & Presentation of Review Project Implementation & Survey Findings
  • Enumerator’s Experience from the field – 3 enumerators from 3 different countries / continents to share their experience during the survey
  • Access to Social Protection, Financial Inclusion, Climate Finance Pre- Covid 19 – Voices from the ground – 3 respondents from 3 different countries / continents to share their access to Social Protection, Digital and Financial Inclusion, Climate Finance before and during Covid
  • Response from Misean Cara
  • Responses from member states
  • Recommendations

Moderator: Anita Thomas – Chair, NGO Committee on Financing for Development

Co-sponsoring organizations: NGO Committee on Financing for Development, Salesian Missions Inc., Misean Cara, Man Up Campaign, Congregation of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd, STARTNOO, Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund (Women First International Fund), Sisters of Charity Federation, Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Maryknoll Sisters, United Religions Initiative, Salesians of Don Bosco, Ireland

______________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. 

Grassroots Community-Based Research Findings: “Asks” to Strengthen Social Protection, Digital & Financial Inclusion, and Climate Finance in a Post-COVID-19 Era

Grassroots Community-Based Research Findings: “Asks” to Strengthen Social Protection, Digital and Financial Inclusion, and Climate Finance in a Post-COVID-19 Era

Register HERE by 5:00 pm EST on April 14

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda provides a global framework for financing sustainable development by aligning all financing flows and policies with economic, social and environmental priorities. The Paris Agreement provides the roadmap for climate actions that will reduce emissions and build climate resilience. Together they provide the most important global frameworks for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic tell us the frameworks have not translated effectively to those who need it the most.

This side event presents a critical look at how adequate the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement have been to meet their avowed goals at the grassroots level and effective compliance by Member States. It also presents the impact on Social Protection, Financial Inclusion and Climate Finance looking through the principle of “Leaving No One Behind.” Primary data that was gathered by field surveys conducted in 7 countries regarding Social Protection, Financial Inclusion and Climate Finance both before and during the pandemic forms the basis for policy “asks” to strengthen Social Protection, Financial Inclusion and Climate Finance. It will provide an opportunity to engage in “Hearing People’s Voices” impacted by the lack of adequate funding for social protection, financial inclusion and climate financing and reeling under the economic, social and health crisis caused by the pandemic.

Tentative Program Agenda:

  • Financing for Sustainable Development Office to share its perspective on status of delivering on commitments made under Addis Ababa Action Agenda including social protection, financial inclusion, and climate finance
  • Introduction to the Project & Presentation of Review Project Implementation & Survey Findings
  • Enumerator’s Experience from the field – 3 enumerators from 3 different countries / continents to share their experience during the survey
  • Access to Social Protection, Financial Inclusion, Climate Finance Pre- Covid 19 – Voices from the ground – 3 respondents from 3 different countries / continents to share their access to Social Protection, Digital and Financial Inclusion, Climate Finance before and during Covid
  • Response from Misean Cara
  • Responses from member states
  • Recommendations

Moderator: Anita Thomas – Chair, NGO Committee on Financing for Development

Co-sponsoring organizations: NGO Committee on Financing for Development, Salesian Missions Inc., Misean Cara, Man Up Campaign, Congregation of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd, STARTNOO, Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund (Women First International Fund), Sisters of Charity Federation, Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Maryknoll Sisters, United Religions Initiative, Salesians of Don Bosco, Ireland

______________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. 

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/

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

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/

______________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

1 … 7 8 9 10

Recent Posts