<br> From: <a href="mailto:sante-international@ufal.info">sante-international@ufal.info</a><br><div class="gmail_quote"> <br>
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<h1><a href="http://ufal.info/blogs/santeinternationale/dakar-the-world-social-forum-on-health-to-undertake-major-initiatives-%e2%80%a8" target="_blank">Dakar : The World Social Forum on Health to undertake major initiatives
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<p>The 4th World Social Forum
on Health and Social Security just took place February 3rd to 6<sup>th</sup> in Dakar, Senegal. This initiative occurs two months after <a href="http://conselho.saude.gov.br/web_confmundial/confmundial_fr.html" target="_blank">the
1st World Conference for the Development of
Universal Social Security Systems in Brasilia, Brazil</a>.</p>
<p>In most countries of the world, save perhaps a handful, there are serious set backs for the rights to prevention and access to high-level health care for most people. All European and African countries are affected by this decline.</p>
<p><strong>Several decisions were taken to fight back at this WSF on Health and Social Security along the following lines :</strong></p>
<p>• To promote the principles of universality and solidarity for
health systems and high level of social protection for all is urgently needed. Bernard Teper (UFAL) emphasized that “targeting policies” – which are sometimes justified in cases of special emergencies- should only be tolerated if they respect the principles of universal systems and not be targeting as charity, in violation of the need for universality and solidarity<sup><a href="#12e1cd7f39a1975e_footnote_0_108" title="‘Targeting policies’ have historically been associated with the World Bank approach to health in LMICs and their destructive aspects have been well documented by, among others, the former director of UNRISD, Dr Thandika Mkandawire.">1</a></sup>.</p>
<p>• To create a political laboratory to enable, on one hand, to better define the words and the arguments used (health, social security, social protection sphere,
constitutional freedoms, equality, equity),
because it is clear that the militants around the world use the same phrases with different meanings, and, on the other hand, to identify possible leads, country by country, to move towards universal systems with a high level of social protection everywhere and for everyone
. These tracks will of course take into account all parameters (demography, medical and paramedical health facilities
proximity and health structures of excellence, funding,
social and environmental determinants of health, etc.).</p>
<p>• Before the 2nd World Conference planned for 2013, to set up national and regional health forums. Armando de Negri proposed a regional conference for the Latin American region, accepted with enthusiasm by all
South Americans in attendance, including Colombian and Brazilian representatives.<br>
Bernard Teper, on behalf of UFAL, proposed to experiment with the creation of a North- South Francophone forum
that would bring together Belgium, France, Maghreb and Sub-Saharan African countries . This proposal was well received by African countries representatives in attendance, especially in the Morocco delegation composed of trade unionists, feminists and associations for the Right to health, and from the Senegalese and
Guineans present, among whom many youth “boosted” by the Tunisian and Egyptian example.</p>
<p>• An International Advisory Board would be created to
put together experiences, debates and decision making. On the sidelines of the plenary sessions, discussions were held on the feasibility
of public meetings, popular education training courses and popular universities cycles
in African countries. Contacts have been made
to evaluate the feasibility.</p>
<p><strong>Time for change. Nearly one hundred participants and delegates contributed to this WSF on Health and Universal Systems which takes place at a time when: </strong></p>
<p>- Neoliberal policies (deregulation, mounting unemployment or under-employment) push more and more workers into the informal sector of the economy<sup><a href="#12e1cd7f39a1975e_footnote_1_108" title="The concept of informal sector (or ‘un- structured’ sector) is defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Such activities are beyond any kind of taxation, control or even just counting. They live on the margins of conventional production of goods and services and escape all regulation. They represent an indispensable complement to neoliberal policies, and the latter policies encourage its spread and use of low-skilled low paid ‘un-regulated’ labor force.">2</a></sup>. This causes difficulties for social contributions whether through taxes, or based on the social contribution based on wage earners and employers (the French system) which can only exist in the formal sector.
This is very harmful because it is a system of social protection funded by social contributions, which is most resilient to economic crises (as long as the formal sector of the economy is maintained) and a better sharing of wealth at the point of production is a good rampart to attempts by companies to shift profits overseas.</p>
<p>- The tricky reforms setting with a mix of contribution caps and tax cuts mean, in reality, that the popular strata in the formal sector finance more of its share than the affluent into the social security system contrary to the principle of solidarity<sup><a href="#12e1cd7f39a1975e_footnote_2_108" title="Simultanous settting of of safety nets for the very very poor or migrant – targeting policy- feed resentments among the working people and feeds into the extreme right populist movement, with the mistaken belief that the problem is the burden of these ‘other’ people rather than the burden of the tax exception and social charges cuts for the wealthy and corporate sector.">3</a></sup>.</p>
<p>- Financing through taxes and social contributions still insufficient, many focus on the collection or setting up of international taxes. Without denying the interest of international taxes, we should denounce the illusion that they could replace the funding from national taxes and social contributions.</p>
<p>The problem with present day fast turning financial capitalism is that international assistance only represents a small portion of budgets in those countries facing difficulties and that it is always accompanied by compensatory anti social
policies (structural adjustment plans imposed by the multilateral organizations that are part
of world governance) and the discrepancies in power relations are such that any proceeds of such taxes. instead of going to social protection -
could well be used to help
as speculators in trouble as during 2008-2009.</p>
<p>By analyzing the participation in this 4th FSMS, we can estimate
however that the number of countries present was too low and much work must be done to broaden participation of social movements in World Social Forums on Health, from a larger number of countries.
Researchers have their place in the
FSMS, but they cannot replace trade unions and associations involved in the
struggle in these countries.
As for the tone of this 4th FSMS, where different currents were
represented, the anti-liberal left seemed
to represent the majority, while a minority seemed to think that we can count on
existing governments and institutions.</p>
<p>In conclusion: this 4th FSMS has beautiful potential, but needs much work. Will it be able to rise to the challenge?</p>
<p><strong>by Bernard Teper,</strong><br>
<em>Director of the Popular Education Section / UFAL</em></p>
<ol><li>‘Targeting policies’ have historically been associated with the World Bank approach to health in LMICs and their destructive aspects have been well documented by, among others, the former director of UNRISD, Dr Thandika Mkandawire. [<a href="#12e1cd7f39a1975e_identifier_0_108">↩</a>]</li>
<li>The concept of informal sector (or ‘un- structured’ sector) is defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Such activities are beyond any kind of taxation, control or even just counting. They live on the margins of conventional production of goods and services and escape all regulation. They represent an indispensable complement to neoliberal policies, and the latter policies encourage its spread and use of low-skilled low paid ‘un-regulated’ labor force. [<a href="#12e1cd7f39a1975e_identifier_1_108">↩</a>]</li>
<li>Simultanous settting of of safety nets for the very very poor or migrant – targeting policy- feed resentments among the working people and feeds into the extreme right populist movement, with the mistaken belief that the problem is the burden of these ‘other’ people rather than the burden of the tax exception and social charges cuts for the wealthy and corporate sector. [<a href="#12e1cd7f39a1975e_identifier_2_108">↩</a>]</li>
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