Come tell the WHO and its 193 member governments what you think. !!!!

Come tell the WHO and its 193 member governments what you think.
Speak-Up Sessions at the 2nd World OPEN Health Assembly.
Together, civil society will forge its own recommendations for the World Health Organization

Tuesday 17 May, the second day of WOHA 2011, will feature a half-dozen diverse Speak-Up Sessions, moderated by partners in India, South Africa, United Kingdom and the USA. These experts and activists will help guide 1 hour global chats on twitter, with inputs also by SMS, Facebook and blogs. The topics for each session are the moderators choice, derived from the WHO/WHA official agenda (or what’s missing) and related issues of interest to their community members / followers and ‘newly-involved’ people around the world. These Speak-Up Sessions encourage people to join in the ‘open’ drafting of recommendations on 18-22 May of a policy document which will be handed to Dr. Chan, DG WHO in Geneva on the 24th of May. Speak-Up Session inputs and messages will also be included in the final declarations at the end of the Million Message March at the High Commission on Human Rights in December.

Speak-Up Sessions Tuesday 17 May

Does Your Community Care?
Moderated by Saif Sabil, IPM / National Rural Health Mission, Calicut India
Tuesday, 17 May 2011, 10:00:00 GMT   
15:30 Calicut   11:00  CapeTown   12:00  London   06:00 New York

Why invest in palliative care in the era of austerity?
Moderated by Claire Morris, The WorldWide Palliative Care Alliance, London, UK
Tuesday, 17 May 2011, 11:00:00 GMT
16:30 Calicut 13:00 Cape Town 12:00 London   07:00 New York

Ouch! Why can't we have universal access to drugs for severe pain?
Moderated by Keith Mienies, African Palliative Care Association, Cape Town
Tuesday, 17 May 2011, 12:00:00
17:30 Calicut  14:00 Capetown  13:00 London  08:00 New York

Does the right to health extend to people who use drugs?
Moderated by Mat Southwell, INPUD, London
Tuesday, 17 May 2011, 13:00:00
18:30 Calicut   15:00 Cape Town 14:00 London  09:00 New York

Universal Access for Women and Girls - Where's the Money?
Co-moderated by Anandi Yuvaraj ICW A-P, Delhi and Celina DCosta Menezes, IMAXI Cooperative, Kerala
Tuesday, 17 May 2011, 13:00:00
19:30 Calicut   16:00 Cape Town 15:00 London  10:00 New York

Why would enabling communities to govern their own health help the world?
Co-Moderated by Lindsey Nicole Ruivivar and Ashley Foster, Ohio and Texas Associations of Community Health Centers
Tuesday, 17 May 2011, 19:00:00
 00:30 Calicut (Weds.)  21:00 Cape Town  20:00 London  15:00 New York


How do I Speak-Up at the Speak-Up Sessions?
Easy. If you haven't yet opened a Twitter account, today is a good day to do it.
To participate and join the chat, follow #WOHA on twitter. Send tweets to @WOHA2011, and always put the hashtag #WOHA in your tweets so they get where they should. You can also send messages by SMS to +91 8129094433 or +41 787597991, or comment on the discussion here on www.imaxi.org or http://facebook.com/MillionMessageMarch

Open Minds —> Open Source —> Open Health : The Million Message March to the UN begins

The Million Message March 2011 is a collaborative communication

campaign to mobilize community support and political commitment for

the Right to Health and Universal Access. It aims to reach out

globally to collect one million messages (by SMS or tweets) from

people in need of treatment and care (for HIV, Cancer, TB, Diabetes,

Hepatitis and other life threatening diseases) and their families,

care-givers and allies.



These ‘Voices’ will be amplified, disseminated and projected along the

‘March’ starting at the World Health Assembly in May, through two UN

High Level Meetings (HIV in June and Non-Communicable Diseases NCDs in

September), and other major health events. The Million Message March

will ‘arrive’ on Human Rights Day, the 10th of December, at the Office

of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) so

that the messages can ‘Speak-Up’ and be heard at the top of the UN and

its Member States.



We launched the Million Message March today from the Institute of

Palliative Medicine in Calicut, Kerala, India, The Institute, a WHO

Collaborating Center, is a global model for participatory community

based care,  and a fitting starting point from which to begin the

March. First Steps: the 2nd World OPEN Health Assembly (WOHA2011), in

tandem with the World Health Assembly, 16-24 May.



WOHA features a non-stop global 'chat' and dozens of 'Speak-Up

Sessions', moderated live by partners in Asia, Africa, Europe and the

Americas, on diverse topics they choose. these partners include the

Institute of Palliative Medicine (WHO Collaborating Center), INPUD

(International Network of People Who Use Drugs), the Lawyers

Collective, the Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance, People's Health

Movement, International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO),

Foundation for Hospice in Sub-Saharan Africa, African Palliative Care

Association, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (US),

Human Rights Watch, The International Community of Women with HIV/AIDS

(ICW Asia-Pacific), World Care Council and others.



The Million Message March to the UN (MMM2UN) is a civil society

initiative, spearheaded by the iMAXi Cooperative with the dynamic

participation of many partners. Together, we're forging a new tool for

social mobilization via social media. Open Minds > Open Source > Open

Health  (Open to you, too!)



Join the Million Message March to the UN.  Tweet @MMM2UN  Follow

#Right2HealthStarts May 16 with the World OPEN Health Assembly.

Tweet @WOHA2011  Follow #WOHA

SMS: +41 787597991,  +91 8129094433  FB: http://on.fb.me/gxLyzl

Blogs: http://www.imaxi.org/





This 'open' and online event allows distant health experts and

activists to provide news, views and healthy commentary for launch of

the innovative MMM2UN campaign, with direct connections to leading

'actors' in Delhi, Chennai, London, Cape Town and from the World

Health Assembly in Geneva.





Twitter: @MMM2UN  #WOHA

Skype: MMM2UN

Blogs: http://www.imaxi.org/

FB: http://facebook.com/MillionMessageMarch



Media contacts:

Malayalam / English:  saifsabil@yahoo.com  +91 9846690490

English/ French: gordon@imaxi.org  +91 8129094433  / +41 787597991

Hindi / Konkanni:  menezes@imaxi.org  +919673205044





Open Minds —> Open Source —> Open Health

“The quest for their beloved
Have turned these walls pale
I wish they knew…
My mom now dwells in her new nest
Among the stars…!!!!!!”
“…..With love to my dear mother who left me on the morning of 06.10.2010.Mom you were really special..”