Activities October-December 1999
Executive Summary
The fourth quarter of 1999 was a time of program and staff expansion at the FXB Center. Stephen Marks put in motion a process of strategic planning in light of changes in leadership and staff. Through a series of senior staff meetings a new strategic plan was drafted, clarifying the mission and means of action of the Center and defining the objectives and actions of each of the three new programs. The principal staff development was the addition of Jennifer Leaning, who became a professor of international health in the Department of Population and International Health and the director of the Program on Humanitarian Crises at the Center. Sofia Gruskin’s program has been redefined as the Program on International Health and Human Rights. A third program was established on Human Rights and Human Development, for which Stephen Marks will act as director until it expands to allow hiring of new staff. This Quarterly Activity Report will reflect the new structure of the Center’s activities.
Following are the activities that marked the fourth quarter of 1999.
Core Activities
Education and Training
At Harvard
Academic Courses
In this period, Center staff prepared for courses to be offered at HSPH in the C and D periods. Stephen Marks will be teaching a new course, Health, Human Rights, and the International System (C period), and is planning an additional course, Health, Human Rights, and Economic Development, to be offered in A period next year. Sofia Gruskin will be teaching two courses: Health and Human Rights and Women, Gender and Health (both in C period). Jennifer Leaning will be teaching Disaster Management (CD periods) and a seminar on Complex Humanitarian Emergencies (D period).
Visiting Scholar Arjun Sengupta
During this period, Arjun Sengupta, the UN Independent Expert on the Right to Development, formerly Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund, joined the Center for several weeks in December as a Visiting Scholar. His work focuses on a plan to create financial incentives for governments to adopt human rights–based approaches to health, education, and food.
Other Presentations/Guest Lectures
Center faculty gave guest lectures in the Harvard Medical School course Medicine, Human Rights, and the Physician. Sofia Gruskin spoke on the relationship of women’s human rights to health on October 28; Stephen Marks spoke on issues relating to sanctions on November 11; Jennifer Leaning spoke on complex humanitarian emergencies.
On October 1, Sofia Gruskin gave a talk titled "What Is Meant by Health and Human Rights as It Pertains to HIV?" at an event sponsored by the Harvard AIDS Institute, "The Practice of AIDS Medicine." The event was part of the 1999 Arthur Ashe Program in AIDS Care.
On November 16, Sofia Gruskin gave a talk at the Harvard Children’s Initiative titled "Government Accountability for HIV/AIDS under the Convention on the Rights of the Child."
On November 30, Sofia Gruskin gave a guest lecture titled "HIV/AIDS and Human Rights: An Overview" at the HSPH course The Future of the AIDS Pandemic, previously taught by Daniel Tarantola and offered this year by Dr. Saidi Kapiga.
Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
Stephen Marks regularly attended the Director’s Lunches at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy in the framework of the collaboration between the FXB Center and the Carr Center.
Beyond Harvard
Academic Courses
In this period, Stephen Marks completed his introductory course on international law at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.
Summer Course on Health and Human Rights
Center staff began discussions with Michael Grodin and George Annas of the Boston University School of Public Health on an intensive course on health and human rights, to be given on June 26-28, 2000.
Other Presentations/Guest Lectures
On November 2, Sofia Gruskin gave a guest lecture on reproductive health and rights in Michael Grodin and George Annas’s class "Health and Human Rights" at the Boston University School of Public Health.
FXB Center Linkages and Partnerships
With National and International Organizations
United Nations
Now that the Center’s Special Consultative Status has been confirmed, several students have been recruited to report on relevant UN meetings for the FXB Center.
American Public Health Association
In this period, Stephen Marks participated in the 127th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association in Chicago, Illinois on November 7–11, 1999. He spoke on three panels on human rights issues and made an overview presentation on health and human rights for the meeting of APHA’s International Human Rights Committee. A Continuing Education Institute hosted by the FXB Center in conjunction with the APHA is proposed for November 12, 2000.
With NGOs
Consortium for Health and Human Rights
The Consortium continues to meet regularly. Consortium members will be participating in "Making the Links, Breaking the Chains: Health, Human Rights, and a Role for Students," the second annual student conference on health and human rights, to be held in March at Harvard Medical School. The FXB Center is supporting the work of the HSPH student group in helping to make this event a success. In this period, the Center also agreed to assume responsibility for compiling an updated list of health and human rights courses and syllabi around the world, for web and possible print publication.
Human Rights Day Symposium
In collaboration with Amnesty International and a number of Boston-area NGOs, the Center helped to plan this year’s annual Boston human rights day symposium. The 1999 symposium, held on December 4, focused on the rights of the child, addressing such issues as juvenile justice in the U.S., child labor and slavery, and the use of children as soldiers. The event was very well received by those who attended.
International Service for Human Rights
Stephen Marks continues to coordinate the New York operation of this Geneva-based NGO. Anne Lally handles the daily operations from the School of International and Public Affairs in New York, including designating students to cover UN events of interest to the FXB Center.
At HSPH and Harvard
Health and Human Rights in Times of Peace and Times of Conflict
Plans progressed for an HSPH event titled "Health and Human Rights in Times of Peace and Conflict," to be held in New York in April 2000. The event, which will bring together health and human rights professionals and business and civic leaders who share an interest in securing health and human rights for all people, will seek to raise awareness of timely health and human rights issues and to generate a dialogue on practical steps to be taken. The event will be hosted by HSPH and Albina du Boisrouvray.
Program on International Health and Human Rights
Linkages and Partnerships: HSPH and Harvard
HSPH Working Group on Women, Gender and Health
The HSPH Working Group on Women, Gender and Health (WGH) continues to meet monthly. During this period, efforts were made to compile a report to be made available to senior faculty and administration on the status of issues related to curriculum, student interest, and other issues relevant to the creation of a program within HSPH.
Enhancing HIV/AIDS Care Initiative (ECI)
This project is jointly carried out by the Harvard AIDS Institute, the FXB Center, other entities within Harvard, and counterpart institutions in Brazil, Senegal, Thailand, and South Africa. ECI has been developing a conceptual framework on how to assess, plan for, and evaluate care for people living with HIV/AIDS, which includes human rights and gender-sensitive approaches.
Representatives from all four of the ECI teams came together around the Paris HIV/AIDS care conference in December (see below), and a number of separate satellite events were organized at the conference. First, a closed research meeting that included ECI AIDS Care Team representatives and Harvard ECI Team members provided an opportunity for ECI AIDS Care Teams to update the group on their respective research results since May 1999, and to plan for the next six months. Second, an ECI roundtable gave team representatives the opportunity to present their research efforts, achievements, and future plans. Finally, a lunch meeting chaired by Daniel Tarantola brought together the IAC Resource Group with ECI team representatives, the Harvard ECI participants, and Merck Company representatives.
In addition to the above meetings, individual meetings were held with each ECI AIDS Care Team to discuss the current status of each team’s research goals and evaluation efforts. The meetings clarified the need for the four teams to look more carefully at cross-cutting themes involved in their work, and for ECI staff to help them do this in the upcoming months.
Linkages and Partnerships: National and International Institutions
UNAIDS
The International Health and Human Rights program continues to work extensively with UNAIDS, including leading the UNAIDS Human Rights Strategy project and participating in discussions and efforts toward enunciation of the Global AIDS Strategy. The range of collaborations continues to expand.
On October 20–22, Sofia Gruskin participated in an expert consultation convened by UNAIDS and WHO on HIV reporting and disclosure. She presented on the topic "Review of Existing Reporting Policies: Impact on Implementation." The meeting brought together approximately 25 people from around the globe with expertise on this topic to try to reach consensus on an approach for policy decisions to be made in this area.
In this period, a great deal of time was spent preparing for NGO participation in a high-level meeting with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, African government representatives, UN agencies, donor governments, and the corporate sector on the International Partnership against AIDS in Africa. This was the first time that NGOs had been invited to participate in a meeting of such a high level. A preparatory workshop was held over December 4–5, the two days preceding the UN meeting. The workshop was extremely intense but productive, and NGO participation in the formal meeting was considered a great success.
WHO
The FXB Center continues its collaboration with various departments of WHO, including Reproductive Health, Women’s Health, Substance Use, HIV/AIDS, Children’s Health, and the newly created focal point on health and human rights. Of particular interest in this period was the first-ever Informal Consultation on Health and Human Rights, which was held at WHO headquarters on December 13–14. This meeting, intended to be the first in a series of meetings to mainstream human rights into the work of WHO, brought together a range of people affiliated with WHO and sister agencies on the integration of a health and human rights approach to their work. Sofia Gruskin was asked to give a presentation titled "The Origins and Evolution of the Linkages Between Human Rights and Health" to help establish the foundation for the meeting. This meeting was extremely successful and will entail a great deal of follow-up work.
Centers for Disease Control
In late October, Sofia Gruskin traveled to Atlanta in her capacity as a technical advisor to the three CDC-funded projects on structural interventions to reduce HIV incidence.
Linkages and Partnerships: NGOs
Operationalizing Cairo and Beijing: A Training Initiative in Gender and Reproductive Health
This leadership training initiative, conducted in partnership with the World Health Organization and the Women’s Health Project, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, has created a pilot course that has run three times in South Africa in preparation for production of a global curriculum next year. At this point, the course has also run in China, Australia, Argentina, and Kenya. In November, Sofia Gruskin traveled to Bellagio, Italy, where the Global Coordinating Committee met extensively over one week both to finalize plans for a Regional Evaluation Workshop (REW), which will bring together the heads of the training institutions, and to plan the contents, structure, and work plan for production of the global curriculum. The REW, to take place in March 2000, will be held in Heidelberg, Germany.
Amnesty International
The FXB Center continues to engage in a number of activities with Amnesty International, both nationally and internationally. Sofia Gruskin continues her involvement as a member of the U.S. Board of Directors and ombudsperson for the organization.
Conferences and Meetings
1999 National Conference on Women and HIV/AIDS
Sofia Gruskin went to Los Angeles to serve as a panelist at the 1999 National Conference on Women and HIV/AIDS, held October 9–12, 1999, in a session titled "Acting Globally and Locally: International Human Rights, Patents, and Access to Medicine." She presented on using the international human rights framework to make governments accountable for the prevention and care offered to women in the context of HIV/AIDS.
Fourth International Conference on Home and Community Care for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS
Sofia Gruskin served on the ethics and human rights subcommittee of the program planning committee for the Fourth International Conference on Home and Community Care for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (Paris HIV 99), held in Paris on December 5–8, 1999. She spoke on a panel regarding HIV/AIDS and human rights during the conference. In addition, ECI staff and team members organized a series of events (see above).
FXBC Publications
Health and Human Rights Reader
A review of Health and Human Rights: A Reader, edited by Jonathan Mann, Sofia Gruskin, George Annas, and Michael Grodin, appeared in the October 1999 issue of the American Journal of Public Health and praised the book’s description of "a type of public health that helps set global standards for the treatment of human beings." Discussions have begun on publication of a second expanded edition.
WHO Substance Abuse Department
In this period, Sofia Gruskin, Karen Plafker, and HSPH doctoral student Allison Smith prepared a paper titled "A Human Rights Framework for Preventing Psychoactive Substance Use by Youth, in the Context of Urbanization" for WHO for use as a background paper for a February meeting in Kobe, Japan concerning future research directions for the WHO Substance Use Division.
CRC Theme Day Booklet
Work on the booklet Human Rights and the Prevention and Care of HIV/AIDS in Children and Young People and the Reference Handbook on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and HIV/AIDS is progressing smoothly. The booklet and an outline of the reference handbook will be presented to UNAIDS in January.
Contributions to Other Publications
Family Health International
Sofia Gruskin and Daniel Tarantola are writing a chapter for Family Health International entitled "HIV/AIDS, Health and Human Rights" for publication in HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Programs in Resource-Constrained Settings: A Handbook for the Design and Management of Programs, edited by Peter Lamptey of FHI, Helene Gayle of CDC, and Purnima Mane of UNAIDS.
Program on Humanitarian Crises and Human Rights
Linkages and Partnerships: HSPH and Harvard
Expert Assessment Team on Sanctions
Jennifer Leaning has been working to develop an expert assessment team to evaluate the humanitarian impact of sanctions. The core team has met several times and has collaborated on the UNICEF proposal below.
Linkages and Partnerships: National and International Institutions
UNICEF
Jennifer Leaning has submitted a proposal to UNICEF for a project on sanctions in Zanzibar, focusing on civilian impacts in the areas of health, education, and women’s lives.
WHO
Jennifer Leaning participated in a December meeting on war and conflict, sponsored by the Emergency Humanitarian Assistance department of WHO.
ICRC
Also in December, Jennifer Leaning participated in a meeting at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Linkages and Partnerships: NGOs
Médecins Sans Frontières
In this period, Jennifer Leaning met in Boston with a representative of MSF-Holland to discuss a proposal for collaboration between the Center and MSF on a range of training initiatives and field investigations. Plans are also under way for a 1-week training of all MSF leadership in humanitarian issues and human rights dilemmas. The training has been scheduled for early March in Brussels.
International Peace Academy
In this period, Jennifer Leaning and several members of the International Peace Academy began to plan for a workshop on "smart" sanctions from a policy perspective.
Advisory Group on Research Priorities in Emergencies
Jennifer Leaning continues to participate in the ethics subgroup of this advisory group, which has been discussing informed consent issues.
Centre Henri Dunant
Jennifer Leaning participated in a meeting in December at the Geneva-based Centre Henri Dunant.
Conferences and Meetings
Kosovo Assessment
For two weeks in October, Jennifer Leaning participated in an assessment of the post-conflict humanitarian and human rights situation in Kosovo, sponsored by Physicians for Human Rights and in coordination with the International Health Systems Group (IHSG) at HSPH. Two human rights training courses were organized and delivered to 45 Kosovar physicians and health care workers. In addition, plans were laid for an IHSG training program to take place in spring 2000, when transportation and communications systems improve.
National Academy of Sciences Roundtable on Forced Migration
In November, as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Roundtable on Forced Migration, Jennifer Leaning attended two days of meetings related primarily to mortality in humanitarian crises. Plans were made for a second conference in fall 2000 on fertility issues in crisis situations.
Contributions to Publications
In this period, Jennifer Leaning submitted an article on human rights issues in Kosovo to Annals of Internal Medicine. Two others are in preparation on (1) research ethics in emergency populations and (2) dilemmas of human rights and humanitarian practice in complex emergencies. In addition, she is contributing to a report by Physicians for Human Rights on medical human rights violations in Kosovo.
Program on Human Rights and Sustainable Human Development
Linkages and Partnerships: National and International Institutions
United Nations Development Programme
In this period, Stephen Marks began work on a proposal for submission to the HURIST program of the UNDP. The proposed project would establish several country-specific programs on sustainable human development.
On October 25, Stephen Marks moderated a question-and-answer session at Columbia University with Mark Malloch Brown, the newly appointed Administrator of UNDP.
On October 26, Stephen Marks also participated in the UNDP Advisory Council on the Human Development Report 2000.
Linkages and Partnerships: NGOs
Cultural Survival
As part of program exploration focusing on the health and human rights of indigenous peoples, Stephen Marks organized meetings on October 28–29 for Letti Scott, an Australian aboriginal woman working to preserve traditional knowledge of medicinal plants, to discuss possible areas of collaboration. He set up a meeting with Harvard-based Cultural Survival, whose director specializes in aboriginal rights in Australia. He also introduced the delegation from Australia to the alternative medicine work of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, where traditional medicinal use of plants is studied. Ms. Scott’s plan includes reutilizing this tradition as a means of improving Aboriginals’ access to health as a human right.
Conferences and Meetings
World Trade Organization
Stephen Marks participated in the Third WTO Ministerial Conference, held November 30–December 3 in Seattle, Washington. He chaired a panel on "Ensuring Human Rights in a Global Economy: The Role of the WTO" and moderated a session on health and human rights for a teach-in on "Trading Away Human Rights? The Role of the WTO." These activities were jointly sponsored by the People’s Decade for Human Rights and the International NGO Committee on Human Rights in Trade and Investment (INCHRITI).
HIV Vaccines for Developing Countries
Stephen Marks participated in a conference on HIV Vaccines for Developing Countries sponsored by the Harvard AIDS Institute on October 5.
Contributions to Publications
American Journal of Public Health
Stephen Marks published an article titled "Economic Sanctions as Human Rights Violations: Reconciling Political and Public Health Imperatives" in the October 1999 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, a special issue devoted to human rights. The article argues for the use of health and human rights expertise in the implementation of "smart sanctions" in order to avoid civilian impacts, especially on the health of children.
Coursebook on International Human Rights
Also in this period, Professor David Weissbrodt invited Stephen Marks to contribute an article to the third edition of his International Human Rights: Law, Policy, and Process.
Dissemination of Information
Health and Human Rights Journal
Work continued on Vol. 4, No. 2, a special theme issue on reproductive and sexual rights to appear in February 2000. This issue has been planned to coincide with the culmination of the five-year review of the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women. Contributors include Nafis Sadik, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UNFPA; Rosalind Petchesky; Tomris Türmen, Alice M. Miller; Carmel Shalev; Marlene Fried; Bonnie Shepard; Barbara Klugman; and Judit Sándor. In this period, final arrangements with authors were concluded, and manuscripts were sent out for peer review. Technical preparations began as well, as the journal is converting to a new page layout program.
Fundraising for the journal remained a priority. In this period, much effort was devoted to compiling information and refining strategies for approaching foundations, corporate givers, and development agencies and to drafting a revised and expanded grant proposal.
FXB Center Seminar Series
In this period, the Seminar Series presented several speakers:
October 8: Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS, "Toward an Expanded Global Response to AIDS: Building New Partnerships"
- October 26: Susannah Sirkin, Deputy Director of Physicians for Human Rights, "Using Public Health Data to Stop Human Rights Violations"
- November 15: Daniel Tarantola, Senior Policy Advisor to the Director-General of the World Health Organization and WHO Special Envoy to Kosovo, "Kosovo: From Complex Emergency to Complex Reconstruction"
- November 18: George Annas, Edward R. Utley Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, "Genetic Research and Transnational Corporations: Are Indigenous Peoples Right to Resist the Commodification of Their DNA?"
- December 7: Arjun Sengupta, Professor of International Economic Organisation at the School of International Studies of Jawaharlal Nehru University, "The Right to Development as a Human Right"
Staff and Administration
Mary Pat Kieffer Leaves
Mary Pat Kieffer, who had been with the FXB Center since 1993, left in November to join a research project on perinatal HIV transmission in Chiang Mai, Thailand. In her absence, Kevin Morrissette, department administrator for the AIDS Institute and the Immunology and Infectious Diseases department, will assume financial administrative responsibilities for the Center. He will be assisted by Perry Honeychurch, also an HAI staff member.