PHM-Exch> AIS Bolivia and PHM's Right to Health and Health Care Campaign

[Claudio Schuftan]

From: AIS Bolivia aisbol at entelnet.bo

La Paz (Bolivia), June 12, 2009

We follow all the PHM activities closely in Bolivia, since we consider
ourselves active part of PHM.

Thank you so much for sharing with us the information about the *Right to
Health and Health Care Campaign and its  2009-2010 * activities plan. We
would like to request you, formally, to include our organization, AIS
Bolivia,  as active part of the Campaign. We are  now ready to start working
with all the PHM colleagues on this campaign. For your information, please
find at the end of this message a short summary of what is and what we do,
as part of the Human Rights Community in Bolivia, in the health sector.

Oscar Lanza V.  (MD,MPH)
*AIS BOLIVIA COORDINATOR

*"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" *AIS -
CODEDCO- IBFAN - FUNAVI (BOLIVIA)
*

AIS Bolivia (Health Action International Bolivia) and the Bolivian Committee
for Consumer's  Rights Protection (CODEDCO) form together a  Human Right and
social development organization, and  are a non-profit NGOs. The mission is
to promote the exercise of human rights, right to health and access to
Essential Medicines.

These organizations working together  work towards demanding more social
accountability, particularly on the areas of  Public Health and Appropiate
Nutrition . AIS- CODEDCO Bolivia main focus is on the broad areas of public
health, access to medicines and nutrition and their activities are
translated into concrete activities around access to health care, rational
use of drugs, patient's rights, consumer's rights, safe food,  environmental
protection, working  from a human rights perspective.

Through it's work AIS- CODEDCO Bolivia make a contribution towards the
People's Right to Health and Right to Food , looking for a fairer and
equitable Bolivia Society, wherein human rights are respected and people
have a potential to exercise their rights and know their duties as active
and responsible people and consumers.

AIS- Bolivia initially devoted it´s work just to promote rational use of
medicines and access to essential medicines, however, as the time elapsed a
more integral approach was adopted by the organization in Bolivia, covering
other areas like poverty reduction strategies, consumers protection,  trade
agreements and impact on health,  trade agreements and access to medicines,
nutrition,  access to  food, food security, food  safety, promotion of
breastfeeding, appropriate infant nutrition, environmental protection,

These organizations are part  of the HAI Foundation (Health Action
International), they are members of the International baby Food Action
network (IBFAN) and of Consumers International (CI) a worldwide Federation
which bring together efforts to protect consumers.

These organizations are able to influence local, national, regional and
international policies related to human rights, public health, access to
medicines, rational use of drugs,  patients and consumer rights and meet and
respond mainly to deprived population's interests. AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia, keep
good channels of collaboration with different , similar organizations around
the world, with whom a close collaboration was established.

The main strategies and  tools are consumer information, education and
public awareness, lobby ,  advocacy, mobilization of groups (at community
level, trade unions , professionals associations and universities) and
through cooperation with other institutions . AIS-CODEDCO  Bolivia cooperate
with many different actors in society and works with several hundreds
volunteers all over the country.

The organizations  ensure follow up to National Health and Trade Policies
and international Health regulations and Trade agreements to advocate for
the precedence of  public health over trade agreements. AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia
are members of the so-called Bolivian Mechanism for Social  Accountability
and an active member of the Bolivian Human Rights Committee. The struggle
for equal right for both men, women and children in Bolivia is fulfilled
through a strengthening of the participation of civil society organizations
in discussions and decisions making mechanisms about health problems from a
gender, diversity and equity principle and through the dissemination of
information as part of the overall advocacy strategy of the organization.
All these 3 organizations (AIS-CODEDCO-IBFAN Bolivia) are under the umbrella
of a private non profit Bolivian Foundation, entitled FUNAVI (Foundation for
Nature and Life) which host the 3 organizations working together.

The organization  in general (AIS-CODEDCO-IBFAN) has 10 paid staff members
in its office in La Paz; in addition there are 12  volunteer regional focal
points all over the country and local groups of volunteers, with a total of
around  300 participants,  which are all actively involved in the work .
AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia were founded in 1987 and works closely with national UN
offices of WHO, Unicef, FAO. Other relevant links are with organisations
that work from a Human Rights perspective such as Wemosn (The Netherlands),
CECU (Spain) , Misereor (Germany) , the Belgium Institute for Tropical
Medicine, Health Action International  (Lima - Amsterdam), INFACT Canada,
VOICE (India), CIN (Kenya), CEFEMINA (Costa Rica), LACMAT (Argentina) and
many others.

Though AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia is a highly respected organization, which is
often approached for it´s experts inputs and participation. These
organizations have to face threats and menaces, from unknown sources, due
the their activities implementing social accountabilty and claiming for  a
moren ethical behaviour of corporate industries, demanding more openness,
transparency and social responsibility.
AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia therefore face some difficulties in the implementation
of  its lobby and educational work.

AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia are also very active on radio with information sketches
in 4 languages at 15 radio stations and the publication of monthly
newsletters, of which a 10.000 copies are printed. AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia also
produce videos and develops every year a variety of posters and works
periodically with the local mass media.

AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia, is quite interested to strenghten collaboration with
other similar organizations, working on similar issues, with similar
philosophy, strategies, perspectives and genuine committment to improve
people's health and the right to health and the right to food.

For moree information please contact:
AIS Bolivia
P.O.Box 568
E-mail: aisbol at entelnet.bo
La Paz - Bolivia
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