Advocacy

Basic E-learning Course on Human Rights and Health

Disseminate the links between health and human rights and explain the international human rights instruments that protect the right to health and other related human rights. [from materials]

Explorations on People Centredness in Health Systems

Health systems should ultimately seek to serve people and society. They must aim to bring value in people’s lives not only by caring for them when sick or giving support to prevent or limit illness and its effects, but also, more broadly, by offering the promise of economic security to all for times of great vulnerability. [from introduction]

Checkpoints for Choice: An Orientation and Resource Package

Checkpoints for Choice: An Orientation and Resource Package offers practical guidance on how to enable stakeholders involved in FP programs to examine issues of full, free, and informed choice and to keep the needs and preferences of clients central to their operations. The package consists of a detailed plan with all support materials for a one-day workshop to enable FP program planners and managers to strengthen the focus of FP programs on clients’ human rights and contraceptive choices in the context of a rights-based program. [from resource]

Population and Sustainable Development in the Post-2015 Agenda

The Outcome Report of the Global Consultation on Population Dynamics and the Post-2015 Development Agenda not only explains the linkages between today’s most pressing development challenges, population dynamics and sexual and reproductive health and rights, but also provides concrete recommendations on how to address these linkages in the post-2015 development agenda. To date, this report makes the clearest and strongest case for why population matters for the post-2015 development agenda and for why the ICPD Programme of Action must be firmly integrated into this new agenda. [from abstract]

Systems thinking for health systems strengthening

Systems thinking provides a deliberate and comprehensive suite of tools and approaches to map, measure and understand
these dynamics. In this Report, we propose “Ten Steps to Systems Thinking” for real-world guidance in applying such
an approach in the health system. [from summary]

Strengthening the Pharmaceutical Sector in Afghanistan: A Study Tour of the Afghan National Medicines Services Organization to Turkey

Staff from the Afghan government’s General Director of Pharmaceutical Affairs undertook a five-day study tour to engage with peers in Turkey. They they learned how to design and create relevant strategies, services and partnerships, with a focus on the private sector. Many ways forward emerged that can realistically support a financially sustainable national supply of key pharmaceuticals—many manufactured in Afghanistan. [adapted from resource]

Community Participation in Formulating the Post-2015 Health and Development Goal Agenda: Reflections of a Multi-Country Research Collaboration

While the Millennium Development Goals focused on redressing extreme poverty and its antecedents for people living in developing countries, the post-2015 agenda seeks to redress inequity worldwide, regardless of a country’s development status. Furthermore, to rectify the UN’s top-down approach toward the Millennium Development Goals’ formulation, widespread negotiations are underway that seek to include the voices of people and communities from around the globe to ground each post-2015 development goal.

Monitoring Health Inequality: An Essential Step for Achieving Health Equity

This booklet communicates fundamental concepts about the importance of health inequality monitoring, using text, figures, maps and videos. This report illustrates four general principles pertaining to health inequalities are highlighted: health inequalities are widespread; health inequality is multidimensional; benchmarking puts changes in inequality in context; and, health inequalities inform policy. [Adapted from introduction]

The Engagement of East and Southern African Countries on the WHO Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel and Its Implementation

This synthesis report is part of the Regional Network for Equity in Health (EQUINET) programme of work on Contributions of global health diplomacy to health systems in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence and information to support capabilities for health diplomacy in east and southern Africa. The programme aims to identify factors that support the effectiveness of global health diplomacy (GHD) in addressing selected key challenges to health strengthening systems in eastern and southern Africa (ESA). [from introduction]

From Evidence to Policy: Expanding Access to Family Planning

WHO policy brief that includes recommended policy and program actions for expanding access to Family Planning.

Health Diplomacy: A New Approach to the Muslim World?

Here we suggest several different mechanisms through which such links could be developed or enhanced, including: provision of relevant health solutions, applied research, cultural alignment and the development of collaborative networks. The Islamic tradition promotes the practice of medicine as a service to humanity. Physical and spiritual wellbeing are intimately related in popular Muslim consciousness. Thoughtful Health Diplomacy therefore has the potential to bridge the perceived divides between Western and predominantly Muslim nations. [from abstract]

Brazilian association of nursing: 85 years of Social Responsibility, Participation and Struggles

To analyze the documents published by the Brazilian Association of Nursing that study the entity and 85 years of social responsibility, participation and struggles. [adapted from abstract]

Health in the Post-2015 Development Framework

In order to ensure continued strong political and financial support for the global AIDS response in the post-2015 era, it is crucial to advocate for the inclusion of strong targets and indicators related to AIDS, sexual and reproductive health and rights and human rights under the new post-2015 health goal and other relevant goals. This paper is a helpful tool to influence your governments as they start developing their positions on the new post-2015 Framework. [from introduction]

HIV in Fragile States

Case studies on the HIV response in South Sudan, Haiti and Cote d’Ivoire. [from introduction]

Advocacy Toolkit for Key Populations: The EMPAD Policy Framework for National Advocacy by and with Key Populations

This tool is intended to support national-level advocacy as an element of HIV programmes designed with and for key populations. It highlights how to design new advocacy and campaign programmes, creating advocacy-related funding proposals and communicating with key populations. [adapted from introduction]

Advocating for Malaria Elimination - Learning from the Successes of Other Infectious Disease Elimination Programmes

The global malaria community needs to work together, to ensure that the early steps towards the end goal of malaria elimination are taken.

Time to Address Gender Discrimination and Inequality in the Health Workforce

This commentary makes the case that there is a clear need for sex- and age-disaggregated and qualitative data to
more precisely illuminate gender-related trends and dynamics in the health workforce. Because of their importance
for measurement, the paper also presents definitions and examples of sex or gender discrimination and offers
specific case examples. [from abstract]

Recife Political Declaration on Human Resources for Health: Renewed Commitments Towards Universal Health Coverage

A declaration adopted at the Third Global Forum on Human Resources for Health (HRH)to take stock of progress made
since the Second Global Forum in 2011, to identify continuing challenges and to renew our shared vision and
resolve regarding human resources for health. [adapted from summary]
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Saving Lives, Ensuring a Legacy: A Health Workforce Strategy for the Global Health Initiative

The health workforce crisis is widely recognized as a critical obstacle to achieving the Millennium Development Goals, as well as the global health goals of the United States Government. The Global Health Initiative recognizes this problem and includes expansion and appropriate deployment of the health workforce among its goals. However, this has yet to be translated into a coherent strategy with clear goals, resource allocation, technical approach, and indicators of progress. This paper addresses that gap in the US approach. [adapted from abstract]

Self-Reported Evaluation of Competencies and Attitudes by Physicians-in-Training Before and After a Single Day Legislative Advocacy Experience

The purpose of this study was to assess students’ experiences and attitudes toward legislative advocacy using a convenience sample of premedical and medical students attending a National Advocacy Day in Washington, DC. [from abstract]

Africa Christian Health Associations Update May 2010

This issue includes articles for FBOs on: making advocacy effective in a contemporary setting; country experiences in human resources for health; role of church health coordinating committees in advocacy; monitoring responsiveness in healthcare centres; and an introduction to monitoring and evaluation. [adapted from author]

Protect, Promote, Recognize: Volunteering in Emergencies

This call to action advocates for the recognition of the economic and social value of volunteers in public health disaster situations and the development of policies to protect them.

Systematic Evidence Review to Support Development of Policy Guidelines for Improving Health Worker Access to Prevention, Treatement, and Care Services for HIV and TB

The objective of this review was to ascertain if priority access to HIV and/or TB services should be provided to health care workers as well as whether workplaces should provide programs reducing stigma and/or discrimination for all health care workers. [from abstract]

Valuing Health Workers: VSO Health Advocacy Strategy 2009-2014

The advocacy strategy was launched to contribute to the overall achievement stronger, more inclusive and accessible health systems. It aims to raise awareness of the critical shortage of human resources for health in developing countries and bring the voices and expertise of health workers to the attention of policy makers to suggest solutions. [adapted from summary]

Health Workers in Fragile States: The Case for Investment

This document outlines the important role health workers play in areas suffering from severe crises and makes the case for investing in HRH as central to health system recovery and improved health outcomes. [adapted from author]

Networking for Policy Change: What Works

This paper presents case studies of networks in 11 countries assisted by the POLICY Project to demonstrate how reproductive health advocacy networks were influential actors that played a role in fostering significant policy changes over the past decade. [from summary]

Global Health Workforce Crisis and the 2009 G8 Summit (La Maddalena, Italy): Recommendations from the Health Workforce Advocacy Initiative

This brief advocates for measures and funding needed from G8 to ensure that the Millenium Development Goals are achieved and that countries can provide comprehensive primary health care for all. [adapted from author]

Community-Based Access to Injectables: an Advocacy Guide

Studies and field observations have found that community health workers (CHWs) can provide injectables safely and that community access to injectables attracts new contraceptive users. This guide is designed to assist the many health professionals and advocates who are interested in making injectable contraceptives more widely available, especially for women with little or no access to health facilities. The guide describes six steps that advocates can take to support policy change to permit CHWs to provide injectables. [from summary]

Health Service Planning and Policy-Making: a Toolkit for Nurses and Midwives

The purpose of this toolkit, consisting of 7 booklets, is to provide nurses and midwives with tools to effectively participate in and influence health care planning and policy-making. This tool-kit has been designed for use by any nurse or midwife who has an interest in advocating for change in their work environment. [from publisher]

Nursing Community, Macroeconomic and Public Finance Policies: Towards a Better Understanding

This paper seeks to provide nurses and nursing representatives with insights into the economic rationales for investing in health, health systems and the health workforce. It aims to support interaction and advocacy between nurses and those involved in public sector resource allocation such as governments, international agencies and private investors and health administrators. [from executive summary]