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<P align=left><FONT size=4></FONT> </P>
<P align=left>On the morning of Friday 9th December, we will be launching an
important <BR> call for action regarding the human right to health. The
call for action has <BR> been endorsed by over 30 former heads of states
and governments from all corners of the world -- we enclose a
copy.<BR> This London launch will be hosted by the British Medical
Association. </P>
<P align=left><FONT size=4>The right to the highest attainable standard of
health is not a "right to be healthy,"</FONT></P>
<P align=left><FONT size=4>nor does it mean governments must put in place
expensive health services </FONT><FONT size=4>beyond available public resources.
But it does require governments to:</FONT></P></FONT><FONT
face=HelveticaNeue-Roman color=#7ab89b size=1>
<P align=left>•<FONT size=3> </FONT></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman><FONT
size=3>Promote access to clean water, health care, adequate nutrition and
</FONT><FONT size=3>sanitation without discrimination</FONT></P></FONT><FONT
face=HelveticaNeue-Roman color=#7ab89b>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>• </FONT></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman><FONT
size=3>Invest in strong health systems</FONT></P></FONT><FONT
face=HelveticaNeue-Roman color=#7ab89b>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>• </FONT></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman><FONT
size=3>Make sure that health care decisions are made accountably and with
</FONT><FONT size=3>public participation</FONT></P></FONT><FONT
face=HelveticaNeue-Roman color=#7ab89b>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>• </FONT></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman><FONT
size=3>Support low-income countries in their efforts to bring decent health
</FONT><FONT size=3>to their peoples.</FONT></P>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>We refuse to accept a state of affairs in which life
expectancy in rich countries approaches </FONT><FONT size=3>80 years, while in
some of the poorest it is below 40. It is also unacceptable that in some
</FONT><FONT size=3>countries, 100 of every 1,000 children die before their
fifth birthday, while in high-income </FONT><FONT size=3>nations, the mortality
rate is less than 10 deaths per 1,000.</FONT></P>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>We will not stand by when every day, 30,000 children
die of preventable illness, </FONT><FONT size=3>and every minute, five more
women join the 20 million already living with HIV/AIDS, </FONT><FONT size=3>and
one more woman dies while giving birth.</FONT></P>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>We find it intolerable that more than 1 billion
people–one person in five–lack access </FONT><FONT size=3>to safe water and that
only 10 percent of all health research and development spending </FONT><FONT
size=3>is directed at the health problems of 90 percent of the world's
population.</FONT></P></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Medium color=#7ab89b
size=3>
<P align=left>We call for systemic changes to build strong health
systems:</P></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman color=#7ab89b>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>• </FONT></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman><FONT
size=3>Funding of health systems must be increased through predictable,
sustained and </FONT><FONT size=3>long-term investments, nationally and
globally.</FONT></P></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman color=#7ab89b>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>• </FONT></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman><FONT
size=3>User fees for primary health care must be abolished, financial barriers
to access </FONT><FONT size=3>eliminated, and systems to ensure financial
protection implemented.</FONT></P></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman
color=#7ab89b>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>• </FONT></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman><FONT
size=3>Countries, rich and poor, must confront urgently the crisis of human
resources: increase </FONT><FONT size=3>training, ensure that mid-level cadres
of health workers are expanded and empowered, </FONT><FONT size=3>provide
adequate and fair compensation for all health workers, and take measures to
</FONT><FONT size=3>stem the exodus of scarce health workers from the public
sector.</FONT></P></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman color=#7ab89b>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>• </FONT></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman><FONT
size=3>Countries must adopt and implement laws, regulations and policies to
strengthen </FONT><FONT size=3>health systems, improve women's health, and
establish tolerance and respect for </FONT><FONT size=3>women's decisions in all
matters pertaining to their health and well being.</FONT></P></FONT><FONT
face=HelveticaNeue-Roman color=#7ab89b>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>• </FONT></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman><FONT
size=3>HIV programs and policies must be oriented to the engthening of health
systems and </FONT><FONT size=3>to the uncompromising protection of the health
and rights of women and girls.</FONT></P></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Medium
color=#7ab89b>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>We call for these priorities to be reflected in
poverty reduction and </FONT><FONT size=3>development
strategies:</FONT></P></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman color=#7ab89b>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>• </FONT></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman><FONT
size=3>Political leaders must recognize the critical importance of women's
health and </FONT><FONT size=3>empowerment, and of health systems to achieving
the Millennium Development Goals </FONT><FONT
size=3>(MDGs).</FONT></P></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman color=#7ab89b>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>• </FONT></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman><FONT
size=3>Countries must endorse the ICPD (International Conference on Population
and </FONT><FONT size=3>Development) target of universal access to reproductive
health by 2015 as an </FONT><FONT size=3>additional target to MDG
5.</FONT></P></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Medium color=#7ab89b>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>These commitments are not optional.
</FONT></FONT><I><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Italic color=#7ab89b><FONT size=3>All
people have a right to health. </FONT></P></I></FONT><FONT
face=HelveticaNeue-Roman color=#7ab89b>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>We urge governments, as well as international
organizations, civil society groups, </FONT><FONT size=3>private companies,
communities and individuals, to fulfill their responsibilities in </FONT><FONT
size=3>ensuring the realization of the fundamental human right to health for
all</FONT></P>
<P align=left><FONT color=#0853ff size=1> </FONT></P>
<P align=left>1<FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman color=#0853ff size=1>These action
points were developed by participants of "Innovations in Supporting Local Health
Systems for Global Women's Health," a high-level meeting held in Wye River,
Maryland (June 2005), and are featured in the "Wye River Call to Action for
Global Women's Health," signed by over 100 leaders from over 30 countries.
</P></FONT></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Medium color=#ffffff
size=3></FONT><FONT face=HelveticaNeue-Roman color=#ffffff>
<P align=left><FONT size=3>Lead singer, U2</FONT></FONT><FONT
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