Thursday, August 26, 2010

UN DPI/NGO workshop this weekend


This year, Melbourne is hosting the 63rd Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference, titled 'Advance Global Health – Achieve the MDGs'. The conference will be held from Monday, 30 August , to Wednesday, 1 September , 2010 and will take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre . The Conference is being organized in partnership between the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), the NGO/DPI Executive Committee and the Government of Australia. This is the third time the conference has been held outside New York in 60 years. Over 1000 people are expected to attend from around the world.

Amnesty International is presenting a workshop at the conference titled 'Fulfilling rights = better health = achieving MDGs'. Speakers are: Sarah Marland, Dr Karmanandu Saraswati from the Urapuntja Health Clinic in Utopia and Albert Bailey Kemarr, Senior Alyawarr Elder. The workshop description is below:

'Longitudinal studies on the health outcomes of Aboriginal peoples living on their traditional homelands demonstrate the correlation between the fulfilment of rights to culture and self-determination and significantly better health outcomes. Community control over life circumstances, practice of traditional forms of governance, community control of health services and access to traditional lands for cultural and economic activities are fundamental determinants of good health. These outcomes provide a model for achieving health MDGs for Indigenous peoples around the world, who are often overlooked in national health plans.'

Claire Mallinson, Monica Morgan, Andrew Beswick, Hannah Harborow and Roxanne Macara are also attending from Amnesty International.

More information about the conference can be found at http://www.un.org.au/DPI_NGO_Conference.aspx

.............................................................

No comments:

Post a Comment