Civil society meetings ahead of the 70th World Health Assembly

Geneva, Ecumenical Centre, Friday 19 May 2017, 9:30-17:00 hrs
Civil Society Brainstorming Meeting before the 70th WHA
What is to be done to recover peoples’ sovereignty: nutrition,
food sovereignty, global health, and corporate power

After a successful start in January (“Let’s talk: Economic determination of health policies and governance”), the second civil society brainstorming meeting organized by G2H2 explored the links between nutrition, food systems, seeds, agroecology, food sovereignty, global health, intellectual property rights, labour laws, human rights, corporate power and abuses, and global governance.

This time, our brainstorming extended itself into what are the possible implications of all this interconnectedness to our sectoral specific struggles and overall strategies to recover people’s sovereignty over the public space. What is to be done? What are the implications for us as citizens, local, national and international public interest CSOs, and our specific struggles and processes? Should we converge on specific processes?

Program

Morning session: Corporate Capture of Food, Nutrition and Health: searching the common agenda

Global governance of the food, nutrition and health policy spaces:
How to strengthen bridges among the sectoral groups

  • The role of social movements in the reform of the FAO Committee on World Food Security (CFS): Struggle against land grabbing and for food sovereignty, agro-ecological principles and coherence with human rights
    With Javier Sanchez Anso, LVC
  • Follow-up of the Second International Conference of Nutrition (ICN2) and the Nutrition Civil Society Group’s struggle to recognize the structural links between food and nutrition in their multidimensionality
    With Flavio Valente, FIAN
  • The interconnectedness between the food and nutrition industry and health governance in WHO related processes
    With Garance Upham, WAAAR

Afternoon session: What we are doing to recover peoples’ sovereignty

Mobilizing for a human rights treaty on the regulation of transnational corporations (TNCs): a strategy that needs all of us or deviates us from other relevant sectoral activities?

  • Treaty Alliance – unifying civil society and human rights organizations for the treaty – holding corporate and governments accountable to their responsibilities and obligations. With Camille Selleger, GIFA
  • Dismantle corporate power and the Peoples’ Treaty – linking specific struggles to the construction of an autonomous legal standard based on the processes and experiences of social movements and communities. With Brid Brennan, TNI

The resistance of the social movements and popular struggles in their territories against corporate power abuses and crimes

  • Input by Marcela Fogaca Vieira, GTPI/Rebrip
  • Final plenary leading to conclusions and the definition of next steps to strengthen mobilization and increase the convergence of struggles.

Announcement: PDF
Program: PDF
Contact for enquiries: G2H2 secretariat

Meeting organized by G2H2, hosted by the World Council of Churches, and kindly supported by G2H2 members, the WCC and the South Centre.

Geneva, Ecumenical Centre, Friday 19 May 2017, 17:00 hrs
G2H2 Reception and buffet dinner

Geneva, Ecumenical Centre, Saturday 20 May 2017, 9:00-16:00 hrs
Civil Society Strategy Meeting before the 70th WHA
WHO Governance: Still many open questions

Ahead of the 70th World Health Assembly, the Third World Network, the Geneva Global Health Hub and the People’s Health Movement (WHO Watch)  organized another full day civil society meeting of briefings and joint strategizing on key issues on the agenda of the WHA, with half a day focusing on items to be selected and introduced by the team of PHM WHO Watch team and all participants and with the second part of the day focusing on institutional/governance issues (Election of WHO DG, FENSA implementation, Philanthrocapitalism, IHR and global health security).

Program: PDF
Selected presentations: Available at the G2H2 secretariat (participants only)
Contact for enquiries: G2H2 secretariat

Meeting organized by Third World Network, G2H2 and WHO Watch (PHM), hosted by the World Council of Churches, and kindly supported by G2H2 members, the WCC and the South Centre. Photo: Strategy meeting in January 2017 (South Centre)

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