Program on International Health and Human Rights

2009

International Conference on Realising the Rights to Health and Development for All
October 2009
In October 2009 Sofia Gruskin and Laura Ferguson participated in the International Conference on Realising the Rights to Health and Development for All in Hanoi, Vietnam. The conference was historic in that it was the first international conference to be held in Asia on health, human rights and development and analyzed how issues that have been largely addressed in isolation of one another actually interplay. Convened by the University of New South Wales’ Initiative for Health and Human Rights and the Central Commission for Popularization and Education of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Organizing Committee consisted of18 organizations, including PIHHR. Sofia Gruskin spoke at the opening ceremony and presented at the closing plenary on "The Rights to Health and Development: Measuring the Unmeasurable" as well served as chair of a bridging session and spoke on the effects of punitive laws at a Satellite Session sponsored by UNAIDS. Laura Ferguson, supported by a team of session rapporteurs, served as one of the two conference rapporteurs and presented during the closing ceremony. Abstracts of PIHHR presentations can be found here. For more information about the conference, click here.

Expert Meeting on Violence Against Women and HIV
October 2009
Project Manager Aziza Ahmed presented at a meeting convened by UNAIDS and WHO to bring together experts working at the intersections of HIV and violence against women. The meeting aimed to move forward the research agenda and discuss policy and program implications of existing evidence. Aziza presented results from a systematic literature review conducted by PIHHR, which examines linkages between gender-based violence and HIV.

The Role of Human Rights in Ensuring Universal Access to HIV Testing
October 2009
In October 2009 Sofia Gruskin presented at a meeting on the Role of Human Rights in Ensuring Universal Access to HIV Testing, convened in Geneva by the The Open Society Institute’s (OSI) Law and Public Health Program, UNAIDS Secretariat, and the World Health Organization. Her presentation on “Mapping of Literature on Provider-Initiated Testing and Counseling” discussed preliminary findings from a systematic literature review conducted by PIHHR aimed at supporting the development of recommendations ensuring the integration of human rights norms and standards in HIV testing and counseling services.

Expert Meeting on Elaboration of a General Comment on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
October 2009
Convened by UNFPA, a high-level meeting was held in October 2009 bringing together experts to provide input into a new General Comment to be issued by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to help advance the scope of international human rights standards regarding sexual and reproductive health. Sofia Gruskin's presentation on the “Human Rights Principles Applied to Sexual and Reproductive Health: As Relevant to Sexual and Reproductive Rights" stimulated debate about key elements relevant to the elaboration of the General Comment.

Reproductive Justice Ambassador Tour
October 2009
Project Manager Aziza Ahmed moderated a panel discussion about reproductive justice and U.S. foreign policy. Panelists spoke about why investing in comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights is urgently needed and how the U.S. can strengthen holistic, human rights-based care overseas that breaks down the divisions among HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and maternal and child health. This event was co-sponsored by the Program on International Health and Human Rights and Working Group on Women, Gender & Health, Harvard Law School Human Rights Program, Harvard Law Students for Reproductive Justice and Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE).

Vietnam AIDS Policy and Planning Project, Senior Level Trainings in Phat Thiet and Phan Rang
July 2009
Sofia Gruskin participated in senior level trainings in Phan Thiet and Phan Rang, Vietnam as a part of the Vietnam AIDS Policy and Planning Project. Working with 6 provinces, Ninh Thuan, Khan Hoa,
Phu Yen, Binh Duong, Binh Thuan, and Lam Dong, the goal of the training was to develop the capacity of government officials, including those from inside and outside the health sector, to use a rights-based approach to respond successfully to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The training builds on ongoing efforts supporting Vietnam's political leaders to put in place effective planning and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for an effective rights-based and multi-sectoral AIDS response, including the contributions of NGOs, civil society and the private sector. The course curriculum has been developed by a team of Boston based faculty from PIHHR, Boston University’s Center for International Health and Development, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Medical School’s Division of AIDS, and Abt Associates of Cambridge with the Ho Chi Minh Political Academy.

National Workshop on Realising the Rights to Health and Development
July 2009
Sofia Gruskin was one of two international faculty for the National Workshop on Realising the Rights to Health and Development in Hanoi, Vietnam. Convened by the University of New South Wales’ Initiative for Health and Human Rights and the Central Commission for Popularization and Education of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the workshop aimed to build the collective and individual knowledge of government officials on Health, Human Rights and Development as part of their work and in preparation for the International Conference on Realising the Rights to Health and Development for All, to be held in Hanoi, 26-29 October, 2009. For more information, click here.

Meeting on Evaluating the Impact of Integrating Legal Support and Health Care in Kenya
May 2009
Zyde Raad participated in a meeting of the Open Society Institute's Law and Health Initiative (OSI-LAHI) in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting focused in part on an ongoing PIHHR project evaluating the health and human rights impact of integrating legal and health care services. It brought together Kenyan organizations integrating law and health in innovative ways, researchers, and technical advisors to discuss approaches to documenting and assessing integration efforts from a health and human rights perspective.

Seminar on Maternal Mortality and Human Rights in Brazil
May 2009
Sofia Gruskin participated in a seminar on "Maternal Mortality and Human Rights in Brazil" and delivered the opening address of the event held in São Paulo, Brazil. Convened by the Center for Citizenship and Reproduction and the Center for Reproductive Rights and supported by UNFPA, the two day seminar aimed to facilitate a debate among Brazilian and international experts in the public health and human rights fields and to generate proposals to improve maternal health in Brazil. Her presentation titled " Maternal Mortality : A Public Health and Human Rights Imperative" involved a discussion of how the public health and human rights communities are using rights to address maternal mortality and suggested ways in which a rights-based approach could contribute to efforts in Brazil. To access the seminar agenda, click here.

Vietnam AIDS Policy and Planning Project, Senior Level Trainings in Tam Dao
May 2009
Sofia Gruskin participated in senior level trainings in Tam Dao, Vietnam as a part of the Vietnam AIDS Policy and Planning Project. Working with three provinces, Son La, Dien Bien and Lao Cai, the goal of the training was to develop the capacity of government officials, including those from inside and outside the health sector, to use a rights-based approach to respond successfully to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The training builds on ongoing efforts supporting Vietnam's political leaders to put in place effective planning and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for an effective rights-based and multi-sectoral AIDS response, including the contributions of NGOs, civil society and the private sector. The course curriculum has been developed by a team of Boston based faculty from PIHHR, Boston University’s Center for International Health and Development, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Medical School’s Division of AIDS, and Abt Associates of Cambridge.

International Association for the Study of Sexuality, Culture and Society (IASSCS) VII Conference
April 2009
In April 2009, Sofia Gruskin participated in the VII IASSCS International Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam. Amongst other activities, she presented 'In their own words: Government recoginition of the harms caused by regulating sexuality' based on results from the 2008 UNGASS reporting round. Other presentations summarizing work she is involved in included: 'A tool for advancing sexual and reproductive health and human rights: strengthening laws, regulations, policies and their implementation' and 'Making AIDS policy sexy: Evaluation of AIDS policy training to engender a gendered and human rights response in Vietnam.' Click on the presentation titles to access the conference abstracts.

International Seminar on Monitoring and Evaluation in Brazil
April 2009
In April 2009, Laura Ferguson presented at the ‘International Seminar on Monitoring and Evaluation for Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists’ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil organized by The Brazilian National School of Public Health (ENSP/Fiocruz), in partnership with the Brazilian National AIDS Program and with the support of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC-GAP Brazil). Drawing on the concepts and methods of PIHHRs work, Laura lectured on ‘Using Human Rights as a Framework for Monitoring and Evaluation of HIV: From Theory to Program Changes’, focusing on the added value of systematic attention to human rights in the conceptualization and implementation of monitoring and evaluation efforts in HIV.

2009 Collaborative Public Health Brazil Field Course
January 2009
In January 2009, Sofia Gruskin engaged in the 2009 Collaborative Public Health Brazil Field Course (GHP 542) in Salvador, Bahia. This collaborative course, offered by the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Fiocruz's Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz with the support of the Brazil Studies Program at Harvard University's David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS), brought together a diverse group of faculty and students to explore a variety of issues related to infectious disease in the area. Professor Gruskin provided student support throughout the course, and helped to ensure that HSPH and Brazilian students engaged with the Human Rights and Health issues relevant to their topics. For more information, click here.

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