Oxfam and partners, WaterAid and the ONE Campaign, put on morning sessions at Mashable and the UN Foundation's Digital Media Lounge, outside the UN MDG Summit. Photo Credit: Oxfam International
It’s been several hours since I posted my last blog entry. What have I been doing you ask?
Watching. Tweeting. Talking. Thinking.
But mostly listening.
So far at the UN Week Digital Media Lounge, I’ve gotten the opportunity to sit and listen to experts in global health and development from governments, agencies, and NGOs discuss everything from “unsexy” tuberculosis, to ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) and their impact on development and health, disaster relief and the use of new media (paying particular attention to Pakistan and Haiti), and the use of documentary film making for raising awareness of neglected issues. For a detailed agenda click here.
The ONE.org blog also has a great roundup of quotes from the various panels throughout the day. Take a look!
I felt that the three themes that came out of today were the following:
1. Localization-This is not a new concept, but still important to keep emphasizing. For a region specific health/development plan to be successful there needs to be buy-in from local governments, as well as community support. A health intervention cannot be successful if it is not tailored to the specific country that it is targeted in. For neglected tropical disease (NTD) control, this is why research, mapping, and surveying are critical components to a strategic NTD control program. If we do not first assess need and then address it appropriately, the problem won’t be solved. There is no one-size fit all or cookie-cutter approach/solution.
2. Transparency- Good governance practices are important in ensuring that aid and foreign assistance is going to the right places. There needs to be accountability at all levels and for all parties involved. In a panel discussion on innovation and technology today, Jim Rosenberg, head of social media at the World Bank, touched on this topic quite frequently.
The World Bank is known for being a rather stoic organization. A lot of information flows in, but not a lot of information flows out. Rosenberg discussed the shift in perception at the Bank recently. There is a major push now towards transparency, especially with the adoption of social media tools. Armed with a new access to information policy, the Bank is planning to launch a more interactive country program website in the coming weeks. This is great news for the development community and I hope that it will be a solid aid effectiveness tool.
3. Integration- Probably my favorite panel of the day was a panel on integration between water, sanitation, hunger, nutrition and other pressing global problems. Experts like Samuel Kargbo, Ministry of Health in Sierra Leone, Martha Kwataine, Executive Director of Malawi Health Equity Network, Mariame Dem, West Africa Head, WaterAid, and Steve Cockburn, Int’l Campaign Coordinator, End Water Poverty discussed the inextricable link between all those issues. Water cannot be tackled without sanitation programs. Hunger and nutrition need to have coordination. The development community cannot work in silos if we want to have tangible, sustainable and measurable results.
Kargbo gave an excellent example of where the shortfalls are. For instance, in countries where condoms are handed out to men, contraception and family planning education is not given to women. This is a good example of where an integrated approach could work.
But integration does already exist. Kargbo gave a shout-out to NTDs (whoo!) by talking how successful immunization programs are for children when deworming drugs are added to it. I got the chance to catch up with Mr. Kargbo after the talk where he talked a little bit more about the subject. (Video coming soon!)
Overall, the first day, while overwhelming, was exciting. It was so invigorating to be in a room full of passionate writers, thinkers and advocates. I talked with a blogger from Care India who focuses on maternal and child health issues, and an enthusiastic reporter from Reuters AlertNet whose interested in writing about pandemics and disaster relief. There was no shortage of interesting chatter buzzing around.
Leaving on a positive note, I got a chance to catch up with documentary filmmaker and global health advocate Lisa Russell, who pushes the envelope with the subject matter she deals with (female circumcision, fistula, abortion). She recently launched a website uniting artists and activists around the world to share stories and films related to maternal health. I talked with her about NTDs and the lack of visual advocacy. Films on NTDs are neglected as well!
I’m heading now to a “Tweet Up” to chat more with people passionate about advocacy and international development.
More to come!
