PHA-Exchange> BROAD COALITION LAUNCHES NEW GLOBAL ALLIANCE TO PREVENT VIOLENCE - UN

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Subject: BROAD COALITION LAUNCHES NEW GLOBAL ALLIANCE TO PREVENT
VIOLENCE - UN
Date: Mon, 12 Jan 2004 11:00:54 -0500

BROAD COALITION LAUNCHES NEW GLOBAL ALLIANCE TO PREVENT VIOLENCE - UN
New York, Jan 12 2004 11:00AM
Health Ministers from around the world are meeting today in Geneva to
launch an initiative that would help prevent violence and 
reduce its adverse health and social consequences, the United Nations
lead health agency said.

"Interpersonal violence kills 1,400 people every day and causes untold
injuries and suffering. This alliance is uniting a range of 
organizations and Member States around mutual violence prevention
principles and policies and will strengthen our ability to 
address the problem," Dr. Lee Jong-wook, Director-General of the UN
World Health Organization (WHO), said of the Global 
Interpersonal Violence Prevention Alliance (GIVPA).

The creation of this alliance comes 15 months after the worldwide
launch of WHO's world report on violence and health - the first 
comprehensive report of its kind to examine violence as a public health
problem that causes 1.6 million deaths a year.

More than 40 countries have already responded by undertaking violence
prevention activities. National reports that examine 
specific country situations have been initiated in at least 10 others.
More than 15 Governments have committed to developing a 
national plan of action for the prevention of violence.

In addition, significant resolutions have been adopted and policy
debates have been the focus of several international meetings, 
including those of the WHO, the African Union, the UN Commission on
Human Rights and the World Medical Association.

"Our shared understanding of the complex underpinnings of violence is
essential to creating solutions that will prevent people 
from becoming victims and perpetrators," said Dr. Etienne Krug,
Director of WHO's Department of Injuries and Violence Prevention. 
"GIVPA will bring together strong partners in research and data
collection, training, advocacy and prevention programmes."

"The continuing high trends of violence will not be reversed without
this kind of commitment to cooperation and investment in 
prevention," he added.

At today's meeting, co-hosted by the Government of the Republic and
Canton of Geneva and WHO, leading decision-makers from nearly 
a dozen countries will examine the progress of violence prevention
efforts in the last year and determine ways to continue to turn 
the report's recommendations into action.
  2004-01-12 00:00:00.000

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For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news