PacificSci GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES: November 2006

Saturday 25 November 2006

Introducing PacificSci

PACIFIC HEALTH & DEVELOPMENT SCIENCES Inc. is a Canadian consulting firm. PacificSci is our Registered Trademark. We partner with health and development organizations in Canada and abroad. Our portfolio blends contractual and pro bono activities.

OUR MISSION:

"seeking solutions to health and social impacts of development”.

PHILOSOPHY: Population health and well-being are outcomes of balanced development, taking into account human needs, and with respect for justice, rights, equity, sustainability and environmental integrity.

APPROACH: Secular-humanistic, population-focused, evidence-based.

For more details visit our WEBSITE: http://www.pacificsci.org

PacificSci maintains two subsidiary sites accessible from our main website (above). If you wish to access these sites directly, the URLs are as follows:

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PacificSci GLOBAL HEALTH DATA LINKS http://www.webspawner.com/users/globalhealthdata/index.html
PacificSci GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES (launched November 25, 2006) will offer information, views and links on equitable and sustainable human development, with an emphasis on issues relevant to population health.

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50th Anniversary of the March on Washingon, and MARTIN LUTHER KING's GLOBAL LEGACY

We wish to draw attention to the global significance of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, being commemorated today Wednesday August 28, 2013.

People the world over owe Dr Martin Luther King a place of honour for his timeless legacy of combating racial oppression. His famous "I have a dream" speech lives on as one of the most powerful and moving political orations of all time.

He was not only a major historical figure in addressing racism in the US, but had an impact on the whole world, much as did Gandhi and Mandela. We note that all three were incarcerated for expounding views against the grain of established interests (a denial of political rights that still holds in many countries).

The Seattle Times has an excellent site on his life , and the following URL leads to some of his famous speeches.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/special/mlk/king/speeches.html

NEW GLOBAL JOURNAL OF MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH LAUNCHED

Increased educational attainment and its effect on child mortality

“….In addition to the inherent importance of education and its essential role in economic growth, education and health are strongly related. We updated previous systematic assessments of educational attainment, and estimated the contribution of improvements in women's education to reductions in child mortality in the past 40 years.

Methods: We compiled 915 censuses and nationally representative surveys, and estimated mean number of years of education by age and sex. By use of a first-differences model, we investigated the association between child mortality and women's educational attainment, controlling for income per person and HIV seroprevalence. We then computed counterfactual estimates of child mortality for every country year between 1970 and 2009.

Findings: The global mean number of years of education increased from 4·7 years (95% uncertainty interval 4·4—5·1) to 8·3 years (8·0—8·6) for men (aged ≥25 years) and from 3·5 years (3·2—3·9) to 7·1 years (6·7 −7·5) for women (aged ≥25 years). For women of reproductive age (15—44 years) in developing countries, the years of schooling increased from 2·2 years (2·0—2·4) to 7·2 years (6·8—7·6). By 2009, in 87 countries, women (aged 25—34 years) had higher educational attainment than had men (aged 25—34 years). Of 8·2 million fewer deaths in children younger than 5 years between 1970 and 2009, we estimated that 4·2 million (51·2%) could be attributed to increased educational attainment in women of reproductive age.

Interpretation: The substantial increase in education, especially of women, and the reversal of the gender gap have important implications not only for health but also for the status and roles of women in society. The continued increase in educational attainment even in some of the poorest countries suggests that rapid progress in terms of Millennium Development Goal 4 might be possible.

Reference: Gakidou E, Cowling K, Lozano R, Murray CJL. Increased educational attainment and its effect on child mortality in 175 countries between 1970 and 2009: a systematic analysis. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. Lancet, 2010. 376, 9745, 959 - 974. Website: http://bit.ly/bfINy4

Acknowledgement: This report was extracted from a mailing from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO. Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of PAHO/WHO or its country members”.

Indigenous Peoples Still Among Poorest in World, but Progress Reported in Some Countries

New study documents poverty statistics for Indigenous Peoples in Asia, Latin America

“….Indigenous Peoples worldwide continue to be among the poorest of the poor and continue to suffer from higher poverty, lower education, and a greater incidence of disease and discrimination than other groups, according to a new World Bank study: Indigenous Peoples, Poverty, and Development.

Released at the Ninth Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the study offers a "global snapshot” of a set of indicators for Indigenous Peoples vis-à-vis national demographic averages. It also considers in detail how social conditions have evolved in seven countries around the world (Central African Republic, China, Congo, Gabon, India, Laos and Vietnam).

The study shows how success in some Asian countries at achieving sustained growth and poverty reduction has helped their Indigenous Peoples to achieve better poverty, health, and education outcomes. A poverty gap still persists, however, between indigenous and non-indigenous populations, and while the gap is narrowing in China, it is stable or widening in most other countries.

The report provides both a grand overview of basic statistics across indigenous groups, and a series of in-depth country chapters. Large scale household surveys or census data were used to document poverty and other socio-economic trends (health, education) among Indigenous Peoples in the countries analyzed.

Combined with earlier case studies for five Latin American countries – “Indigenous Peoples, Poverty and Human Development in Latin America,” (Hall and Patrinos 2006) – the new study offers a set of detailed results for almost 80 percent of the world’s indigenous population.

Turning the situation around will require widespread and sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction, along with well designed programs that target Indigenous Peoples….”

Source: Authors - Gillette Hall, Georgetown University, Harry Patrinos World Bank. http://www.worldbank.org/indigenouspeoples

Available online as PDF file [339p.] at: http://bit.ly/cGnnyc

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

The CRC has been ratified by every UN member state except the USA and Somalia. It covers the full spectrum of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, stressing their indivisible and interdependent relationship.

The rights fall into 4 categories:

* subsistence rights: including the rights to food, shelter and health care

* development rights: which allow children to reach their fullest potential

* protection rights: such as the right to life and protection from abuse, neglect and exploitation

* participation rights: which allow children to play an active role in community and political life

The rights of the Convention apply regardless of ''race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status''.

The main message is equality of opportunity. Girls should be given the same opportunities as boys. Poor children, disabled children, refugee children, children of indigenous or minority groups - all should have the same rights as others, the same opportunities to learn and enjoy an adequate standard of living.

The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, which came into force in February 2002, prohibits the use of children aged under 18 in hostilities. Unlike most international treaties, it applies to both states and non-state actors such as armed opposition groups.

Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, which came into force in January 2002, gives special emphasis to the criminalization of serious violations of children's rights - namely sale of children, illegal adoption, child prostitution and pornography – and international cooperation as a means of combating these transnational activities.

Reference: Amnesty International (Canada). http://www.amnesty.ca/themes/children_un_convention.php Accessed Feb 16, 2010.

Geneva Conventions 101

⁭ What we thought we knew, or at least should have known, but perhaps were afraid to ask?
Fundamental Rules cited by the International Committee of the Red Cross (abridged): 1 Persons hors de combat and those who do not take a direct part in hostilities... shall in all circumstances be protected and treated humanely without any adverse distinction. 2 It is forbidden to kill or injure an enemy who surrenders or who is hors de combat.3 The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for by the party to the conflict which has them in its power... 4 Captured combatants and civilians...are entitled to respect for their lives, dignity, personal rights and convictions. They shall be protected against all acts of violence and reprisals. They shall have the right to correspond with their families and to receive relief. 5 Everyone shall be entitled to benefit from fundamental judicial guarantees.... No one shall be subjected to physical or mental torture, corporal punishment or cruel or degrading treatment. 6 Parties to a conflict and members of their armed forces do not have an unlimited choice of methods and means of warfare.... 7 Parties to a conflict shall at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants in order to spare civilian population and property... Attacks shall be directed solely against military objectives.
Source: http://www.icrc.org/eng

JUSTICE FOR THE LUBICON CREE - A Human Rights Challenge for Alberta, Canada

An estimated $14 billion in revenue has been generated on Lubicon lands in northern Alberta, yet the Lubicon community of Little Buffalo has no safe, clean drinking water and no sanitation.

There are at least 4 times more oil and gas wells on Lubicon land than there are Lubicon people. Within 3 of years of the first oil wells the number of people dependent on social assistance increased from 10 to 90%. Lubicon houses have no running water or plumbing: traditional sources of water have been contaminated since the onset of resource exploration.

http://www.amnesty.ca/updates/speakout/Nov09/speakout_Nov09.html

A Comparative Perspective on Poverty Reduction in Brazil, China and India

“………Brazil, China and India have seen falling poverty in their reform periods, but to varying degrees and for different reasons. History left China with favorable initial conditions for rapid poverty reduction through market-led economic growth; at the outset of the reform process there were ample distortions to remove and relatively low inequality in access to the opportunities so created, though inequality has risen markedly since. By concentrating such opportunities in the hands of the better off, prior inequalities in various dimensions handicapped poverty reduction in both Brazil and India. Brazil’s recent success in complementing market- oriented reforms with progressive social policies has helped it achieve more rapid poverty reduction than India, although Brazil has been less successful in terms of economic growth. In the wake of its steep rise in inequality, China might learn from Brazil’s success with such policies. India needs to do more to assure that poor people are able to participate in both the country’s growth process and its social policies; here there are lessons from both China and Brazil. All three countries have learned how important macroeconomic stability is to poverty reduction…..”.

Source: A Comparative Perspective on Poverty Reduction in Brazil, China and India
Martin Ravallion, The World Bank
Development Research Group - Director’s Office
Policy Research Working Paper 5080 - October 2009 WPS5080

Available online as PDF file [38p.] at:
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2009/10/15/000158349_20091015114049/Rendered/PDF/WPS5080.pdf

CANADIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION - Information

The Council is a coalition of Canadian voluntary sector organizations working globally to achieve sustainable human development. CCIC seeks to end global poverty, and to promote social justice and human dignity for all. The Council is a coalition of Canadian voluntary sector organizations working globally to achieve sustainable human development. CCIC seeks to end global poverty, and to promote social justice and human dignity for all.

Established in 1968, CCIC monitors and analyzes federal policies on foreign affairs, aid, trade, debt and defence and communicates its findings to members and the public. The Council brings to the Canadian foreign policy-making arena the unique experience and knowledge of Canadian development practitioners and their Southern partners. Working with member organizations across the country, CCIC also seeks to enable its members to engage Canadians in a collective search for development alternatives. Through its links with like-minded domestic organizations, and by participating in international networks, CCIC connects its members to civil society organizations working in common cause around the globe. The Council also facilitates organizational learning and development among members by assisting their leaders and staff to adapt to a changing environment and changing expectations of their roles.
For more information, visit: http://www.ccic.ca/

EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION IN CANADA

According to a survey of responses to 6,000 mock resumes for jobs in metropolitan Toronto, applicants were more likely to land an interview if their name is John Martin or Emily Brown rather than Lei Li or Tara Singh. Anglo names were 40% more likely overall to receive callbacks than people of the same education and job experience but with Indian, Chinese or Pakistani names. Those with mixed names e.g, Vivian Singh, were at intermediate disadvantage, with a rate 20% lower than anglo names. The study was carried out by economist Philip Oreopoulos of the University of British Columbia.

The study challenges Canada's claim to be a country that celebrates diversity, and underscores the difficulty that even highly skilled immigrants have in the labour market. There was nothing in this study to reveal whether “foreign-sounding” names were of immigrants or of people born in Canada, indicating that the offspring of immigrants face name discrimination regardless of how many generations their family has been Canadian.

Source: Jimenez M. Right Resume, Wrong Name. Globe and Mail, May 21, 2009.

A Human Rights Approach to Neglected Tropical Diseases

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) affect one billion people in the world, often the most vulnerable populations living in poor rural areas in low-income countries. NTDs can result in lifelong disabilities and even death. They constitute a source of social stigma, discrimination and poverty. Affected populations often do not have access to treatment and preventive measures, and research and development has been insufficient.

In recent years, there is growing attention to NTDs as both a public health, and human rights issue. This WHO Information sheet, available in English, French and Spanish) on a human rights-based approach to neglected tropical diseases, aims to raise understanding and knowledge among health planners, human rights groups, development partners and civil society organisations.

Source: World Health Organization - Health & Human Rights team. Department of Ethics, Equity, Trade and Human Rights - 2009

Full Report: A Human Rights Approach to Neglected Tropical Diseases. http://www.who.int/hhr/activities/NTD%20information%20sheet%20-%20English.pdf

State of the World’s Cities 2008/2009 - Harmonious Cities

Comments from Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General

“…….Half of humanity now lives in cities, and within two decades, nearly 60 per cent of the world’s people will be urban dwellers. Urban growth is most rapid in the developing world, where cities gain an average of 5 million residents every month. As cities grow in size and population, harmony among the spatial, social and environmental aspects of a city and between their inhabitants becomes of paramount importance. This harmony hinges on two key pillars: equity and sustainability. “

“……Cities embody some of society’s most pressing challenges, from pollution and disease to unemployment and lack of adequate shelter. But cities are also venues where rapid, dramatic change is not just possible but expected. Thus they present real opportunities for increasing energy efficiency, reducing disparities in development and improving living conditions in general. National and local governments can promote harmonious urbanization by supporting pro-poor, inclusive and equitable urban development and by strengthening urban governance structures and processes. History demonstrates that integrated urban policy can be a solid path towards development.

Contrary to popular opinion, inequality and the unsustainable use of energy are not inevitable aspects of urban development, nor are they necessary for urbanization and economic growth to occur. Rather, as this report illustrates, cities can advance the prosperity of their inhabitants while achieving equitable social outcomes and fostering the sustainable use of resources.
………..”

Source: Press Kit State of the World’s Cities 2008/2009 - Harmonious Cities. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), 2008
http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=5964&catid=7&typeid=46&subMenuId=0

Reference: State of the World’s Cities 2008/2009 - Harmonious Cities.
Full report available online as PDF file [288p.] at:
http://www.unchs.org/pmss/getElectronicVersion.asp?nr=2562&alt=1

PEOPLES OPEN ACCESS EDUCATION INITIATIVE

A new virtual educational institution focused on capacity building for public health has been recently launched. A paper giving the background to the "People's Open Access Education Initiative was published in the December 2007 issue of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization and may be accessed on-line: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/85/12/07-044388.pdf
Readers can also visit the website for the initiative at: http://peoples-uni.org/
A demonstration module on Maternal Mortality is available on http://moodle.cawd.net/course/view.php?id=2
The organizers advise that all comments and suggestions for improvement or additional resources will be appreciated.

'happiest place on earth'

The happiest place on earth is the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. The small island state, population 209,000, came out top in a happiness survey because its people are happy, live to nearly 70 and do little to damage the planet. The survey, compiled by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) and Friends of the Earth, indicates that although living standards in the West have improved dramatically over the past 50 years, it does not mean people are any happier. The NEF was set up in 1986 to question the agenda of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations. The so-called 'Happy Planet Index' illustrates that people can live long, happy lives without consuming large amounts of the Earth's resources.

"People are generally happy here because they are very satisfied with very little," said Marke Lowen, of Vanuatu Online. "This is not a consumer-driven society. Life here is about community and family and goodwill to other people. It's a place where you don't worry too much."

Canada does not even make it into the top 100 of the index, which was based on life expectancy, happiness and consumption levels, rather than economic wealth indicators such as GDP. Canada languishes at 111, behind the UK (108) but ahead of the USA (150). Colombia is rated 2nd in the index, with Costa Rica 3rd and Dominica 4th. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe is ranked a dismal 178, bottom of the heap. Russia is ranked 172nd, Japan 95th and Germany 81st.

Source: S Challands, CTV.ca News. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060712/happy_planet_060712/20060712?hub=TopStories
COMMENT: While this report is from 2006, it ranks among the best “good news” stories in years.

"A CLOSER WALK" - A film about AIDS in the world.

News - CANADIANS THINK DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MINORITIES IS A PROBLEM

A new poll conducted by Ipsos Reid finds that most (54%) Canadians ‘strongly’ (17%) or ‘moderately’ (36%) agree that discrimination against minorities is a problem in Canada. However, fewer are of this opinion now than they were in 1993, when a similar study revealed that seven in ten (70%) agreed that such discrimination was a problem, while six in ten (60%) in 1998 agreed with that sentiment, showing a steady decline over the last 14 years. For details: http://www.ipsos-na.com/news/pressrelease.cfm?id=3539

HOW OLD IS CANADA?

"How long have I known you, oh Canada?... a hundred years. And many many 'seelanum' more. And today, when you celebrate your hundred years, oh Canada, I am sad for all the Indian people throughout the land. For I have known you when your forests were mine; when they gave me my meat and my clothing. I have known you in your streams and rivers where your fish flashed and danced in the sun, where the waters said come, come and eat of my abundance. I have known you in the freedom of your winds. And my spirit, like the winds, once roamed your good lands........” Chief Dan George. On Canada’s Centennial Year 1967. http://thegoldweb.com/voices/chiefgeorge.htm

“Carved from mature cedar trees by the Native people of the Northwest Pacific coast (British Columbia, Canada and southern Alaska, USA), full size totem poles are outgrowths of the region's aboriginal art forms. Originally an important part of the Potlatch ceremony, a feast with deep meaning to coastal First Nations, totem poles were once carved and raised to represent a family-clan, its kinship system, its dignity, its accomplishments, it prestige, its adventures, its stories, its rights and prerogatives. A totem pole served, in essence, as the emblem of a family or clan and often as a reminder of its ancestry.” Source: http://www.nativeonline.com/totem_poles.htm Note: Totem poles were never objects of worship; this erroneous idea was propagated by Christian missionaries who urged converts to cease production and to destroy existing poles.

PacificSci GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

FROM a Great Canadian and World Statesman

Saturday 25 November 2006

Introducing PacificSci

INSPIRATIONAL WELCOME ............................... from T.S.Eliot's "Little Gidding"

ETERNAL TRUTH

New Release................... GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH - ECOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS

50th Anniversary of the March on Washingon, and MARTIN LUTHER KING's GLOBAL LEGACY

A HEALTH PERSPECTIVE ON GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT

NEW GLOBAL JOURNAL OF MEDICINE AND PUBLIC HEALTH LAUNCHED

RECOMMENDED GLOBAL LINKS

Increased educational attainment and its effect on child mortality

Indigenous Peoples Still Among Poorest in World, but Progress Reported in Some Countries

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

Geneva Conventions 101

JUSTICE FOR THE LUBICON CREE - A Human Rights Challenge for Alberta, Canada

A Comparative Perspective on Poverty Reduction in Brazil, China and India

CANADIAN COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION - Information

mother and child

LIMITS TO GROWTH

EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION IN CANADA

A Human Rights Approach to Neglected Tropical Diseases

State of the World’s Cities 2008/2009 - Harmonious Cities

On Civilization

Improving the Health of Canadians: Mental Health, Delinquency and Criminal Activity

Announcement - New LINKS

WHAT THE UNITED STATES CAN LEARN ABOUT HEALTH CARE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES

PEOPLES OPEN ACCESS EDUCATION INITIATIVE

PESHAWAR MUSEUM

REAL HEALTH NEWS

NEW Innovation & Application WEBSITE

For a short and moving clip on gender and reproductive health:

'happiest place on earth'

"A CLOSER WALK" - A film about AIDS in the world.

ARCTIC WARMING NARRATIVES

WE SHARE OUR PLANET

Blog Archive

About Us

A QUOTE FOR ALL SEASONS – applicable at all levels.

News - CANADIANS THINK DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MINORITIES IS A PROBLEM

The Power of Literacy

investing in literacy

THIS is your World...

Mechanical dinosaur

recommended reading

HOW OLD IS CANADA?

What Do Totem Poles Mean?

the world grows its food

Global Health Inequities

A Closing Inspiration