Civil society organisations accused government Monday of misleading President Bingu wa Mutharika and the nation in its dealings on a prospective multi-billion kwacha uranium mining project at Kayelekera in Karonga for the impact it will will have on people’s lives. Civil society questions the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for its lack of independence, participation, inclusiveness, cultural sensitivity and equity.
Governance and participation in health
Civil society misled on uranium mining in Malawi
Chimwaga J: Nation Online, 21 November 2006
Civil society mobilises for proposed new Zambian Constitution
Mooya B: Zambia Daily Mail, 30 June 2012
Zambian civil society organisations, especially those devoted to women’s rights, have welcomed Zambia’s new Constitution, which contains progressive provisions on gender equality and the promotion of women’s rights. The public is expected to vote on the Constitution in a national Referendum in 2013. Women’s rights organisations are reported to be preparing for educational campaigns amongst women to vote in favour of the new Constitution in the proposed Referendum in 2013. The parties to the Women’s Declaration on Engendering the Republican Constitution include the labour movement, the private sector, traditional leaders and groups under the umbrella of the Non-Governmental Organisations Coordinating Council (NGOCC). The draft version will enshrine gender equity in the Constitution in terms of economic empowerment. Activists have further demanded for the recognition of education as an important tool for the empowerment of women and women’s political empowerment through proportional representation in all decision making structures.
Civil society organisations and the functions of global health governance: What role within intergovernmental organisations?
Lee K: Global Health Governance III(2), 2010
Amid discussion of how global health governance should and could be strengthened, the potential role of civil society organisations has been frequently raised. In this paper, the author considers the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in four health governance instruments under the auspices of the World Health Organisation – the International Code on the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, International Health Regulations and Codex Alimentarius. She draws several conclusions about CSO engagement for strengthening global health governance (GHG). First, CSOs have played the biggest roles in initiating, formulating and implementing formal rules in GHG. Second, CSOs cannot perform certain functions, which should be fulfilled by the state to ensure GHG instruments are effective, such as formal mechanisms for monitoring and enforcement by government institutions, with punitive measures for non-compliance embodied in national legislation. Third, GHG remains far from pluralist in a true sense. The case studies suggest that, like global governance as a whole, GHG is being characterised by greater, rather than lesser, concentration of power in fewer hands. CSOs can bring much-needed diversity to the GHG landscape.
Civil society organisations call on World Bank to promote universal health coverage
Save the Children, HEPS-Uganda, Women & Law Southern Africa et al: 11 October 2012
In this open letter to the World Bank, a group of 110 international civil society organisations (CSOs) call on the Bank to play a truly progressive and transformative role in health by supporting countries to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). The World Bank is well-placed to be a vocal champion of UHC by deploying its knowledge and experience in health system reform, as well as its financial support. However, the Bank must reform the approach of its programmes and policy advice in order to deliver on this potential, and ensure it positively impacts poor and vulnerable populations. The CSOs call on the Bank to actively support countries to offer care that is free at the point-of-use for all people, as well as scale up investment in public health systems in developing countries, by supporting them to expand public financing, and by offering balanced policy advice that does not privilege private sector solutions over publicly financed and delivered health systems. The Bank can take further steps to promote UHC by ensuring all Bank programs benefit the poorest two quintiles in the countries where it works, actively supporting involvement of civil society in national health policy development, in order to improve democratic oversight and accountability for improved health outcomes, and collaborating with the World Health Organization and other global health institutions in the push for UHC.
Further details: /newsletter/id/37322
Civil society organisations: Perspectives and priorities
Action Group for Health, Human Rights and HIV/AIDS: January 2011
This report documents perspectives from civil society organisations (CSOs) on the performance of the health sector in Uganda, against the background of the government’s Health Sector Strategic and Investment Plan III (HSSIP). Researchers found that most priority areas are in the integrated health systems, including health workforce development, increasing production and equitable deployment of health workers, increasing financial resources, strengthening the role of civil society in monitoring and accountability, and ensuring reliable access to medicines and health supplies. They call for the Ministry of Health to demonstrate its leadership, stewardship, and political will to push forward the recommendations not only elucidated in this report, but also in the HSSIP. Specific critical areas of intervention are also highlighted, including mental health and non-communicable diseases (including cancer and sickle cell disease), malaria, HIV and AIDS, health promotion and human rights. The authors recommend critical interventions in health financing, human resources for health, essential medicines and health supplies, and delivery of the Uganda Minimum Health Care Package (UMHCP).
Civil society petition to Kenyatta for decisive action against corruption
Kenya Civil Society: Pambuzuka News, November 2016
After a series of multi-million-dollar scandals recently unearthed in Kenya, the Auditor General’s report for 2015 says only 1% of the national budget was properly accounted for. In this letter, civil society organisations (CSOs) in Kenya express deep concern and consternation for the worrying escalation of corruption scandals in Kenya in the recent past with little or no consequences for perpetrators, many of whom are reported by the author to have been heavily mentioned in a series of scandals and continue to unashamedly occupy, and therefore bring dishonour, to public office. The CSOs rebuke what they cite as the culture of impunity that continues owing to an apparent lack of political will to address corruption. They make 14 demands to the president and government including the immediate sacking of state and public officers within the Executive adversely mentioned in corruption scandals, initiating legal process of freezing of bank accounts of all those implicated in grand corruption scandals pending investigations, instantaneously stopping and recovering salaries paid illegally to officers who have been suspended or removed from public service on graft allegations
Civil society principles on the IHP+
Civil society members and advocates for health care from all over the world met to discuss the International Health Partnership and Related Initiatives (IHP+) 'Scaling Up for Better Health Plan', aimed at strengthening primary health care to achieve the health-related MDGs for developing countries around the world, including Africa. In order to deliver on its stated goals, they believe the IHP+ must commit to a minimum set of guidelines. These civil society member and advocates stand united on three key principles that they consider non-negotiable: 1) Comprehensive primary health care must be provided for all. 2) Governments must pay their fair share. 3) The people’s voices must be heard.
Civil society report to the WHO Commision on the Social Determinants of Health
Draft report, June 2007
Civil Society Organisations, especially those actively engaged with the health sector, have been largely of the opinion that the Commission constitutes a major opportunity to address key issues in the health sector. This is especially so as the Commission is seen to be engaged in examining and taking forward some of the key fundamentals of the Alma Ata declaration – viz. a Health Systems approach that foregrounds Primary Health Care and locating health in a larger social, economic and political context.
Civil Society Statement on the occasion of the Second Southern Africa Regional Child Rights Conference
Save the Children et al: 5 November 2012
At a meeting on 1-2 November 2012 in Johannesburg, child rights organisations from across Southern Africa brought together a number of stakeholders – including parliamentarians, government officials and various civil society organisations – to meet under the auspices of the Child Rights Network for Southern Africa (CRNSA) and to reflect on building a strong child rights movement in Southern Africa. In this statement, they call on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to adopt a specific children’s protocol, ensuring meaningful participation of children at various levels of decision making, in particular helping each country to establish a state-funded children’s Parliament. At the same time, SADC should make state parties implement its basic minimum package of services for children, domesticate regional and international instruments that state parties have ratified and allocate and increase budgets for children at all levels while guaranteeing meticulous budget monitoring. The signatories further call on SADC governments to ensure timeous reporting to treaty bodies, especially the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child – to whom only Tanzania has reported – as well as prioritise child abuse prevention and early intervention programmes, expeditiously pass comprehensive child-related laws and policies, act as role models in championing children rights and address the contradictions arising from the existence of dual legal systems (customary law and civil law), notably in the case of harmful cultural practices.
Civil society welcomes UN High-level Panel on Post-2015 but where are the voices of people living in poverty?
The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), CIVICUS, the Feminist Task Force, Oxfam International, Beyond 2015, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) et al: CIVICUS, 7 August 2012
In this statement, a group of international civil society organisations welcomes the appointment by the UN Secretary-General of a diverse High-level Panel to advise on a post-2015 development agenda. However, the statement also expresses concern the Panel does not include the voices of people living in poverty, and their representative associations. The current composition of the Panel is largely state-centric with insufficient civil society representation, the organisations argue, and the Panel should include people from women's associations, farmers cooperatives, indigenous groups, workers or organisations of the impoverished. They highlight the fact that such voices must be represented as part of any effort to tackle poverty and in building a just, equitable and sustainable world.