Top economists call for radical redirection of the economy to put Health for All at the centre in the run-up to G20

by Public Health Update October 26, 2021

26 October 2021 News release (WHO)

The COVID-19 Pandemic has brought into focus the stark reality of the large and growing inequities across the globe in access to health care and health products: for every 100 people in high-income countries, 133 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered, while in low-income countries, only 4 doses per 100 people have been administered.

Yet, to date, the world continues to follow the same economic paradigm that doesn’t change the underlying finance structure and applies outdated thinking on economic development, which stands in the way of Health For All. As the G20 Summit approaches in Rome from 29-31 October, where, first, health and finance ministers, and then heads of state and government, come together, there is a window of opportunity for a radical redirection from health for the economy to the economy for health for all. The critical challenge is both to increase the magnitude of the finance available for health and to govern it in a more directed and effective manner.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Council on the Economics of Health For All (WHO Council on the Economics of Health For All) calls now, more than ever, for clear, ambitious goals to mobilize and focus investments towards health, considering financing for health as a long-term investment and not a short-term cost. The Council’s new brief on Financing Health for All prioritizes two key dimensions: more finance and better finance and lays out the way forward through three pathways to action:

Creating fiscal space by easing artificial constraints imposed by outdated economic assumptions and reversing the harmful effects of reforms that lead to big health cuts, allowing spending and investments towards Health For All to increase significantly;
Directing investments to ensure Health for All becomes the central purpose of economic activities, and increase public leadership and dynamic state capabilities to create a conducive regulatory, tax, industrial policy and investment environment; and
Governing public and private finance by regulating the functioning and financing of private health markets through measures that crowd in and direct private finance towards improving health outcomes globally and equitably.

The Council believes that a new paradigm must be pursued that avoids macroeconomic policies and assumptions that move us away from Health For All. This means designing policies to reach health for all now and in the long-term and realigning finance from all sectors and sources through conditionalities that fuel symbiotic gains in the public interest. Not only more financing of the health sector, but better-quality finance is crucial to deliver Health For All, which must be equitable and ensure a sustainable impact on peoples’ lives.

The challenge is to change mindsets within countries that impose internal constraints on spending and to transform externally-imposed conditionalities that hinder spending on what matters for health and promote Health For All. Changing the rules of the game is a fundamental priority of any strategy to deliver Health For All, and policymakers have the ability to rethink finance now.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that the financing of health systems needs to change radically to protect and promote the health of all people,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “The latest report by the Council on the Economics of Health For All makes a clear and compelling argument for the need for sustained financing to be directed to achieving health for all people, and for investments to be understood as long-term gains for national and global development.”

“While health systems are under-resourced, more finance is not the only solution. The work of the Council stresses the need to reform and redirect finance in radical ways so that the objective is Health For All is designed into the financial structures, the conditionalities and the partnerships between business and the state,” said Professor Mariana Mazzucato, Chair of the Council.

By way of background, the WHO Council on the Economics of Health For All was established in November 2020 by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The Council’s core mission is to rethink how value in health and wellbeing is measured, produced, and distributed across the economy. It will recommend a new way to shape the economy with the objective of building healthy societies that are just, inclusive, equitable, and sustainable. Made up of ten of the world’s most eminent economists and health experts, the Council works on four areas on how to rethink measurement of economic development, financing, capacity, and innovation with the aim of achieving Health for All. Briefs in each of these areas, and a comprehensive final report to be produced in 2023, will be used to build momentum amongst finance ministers, heads of state/government, as well as other decision makers such as other financial authorities and international development authorities, towards changing the structure of economic activity in favor of Health For All.

The members of the Council are Professor Mariana Mazzucato (Chair), Professor Senait Fisseha, Professor Jayati Ghosh, Vanessa Huang, Professor Stephanie Kelton, Professor Ilona Kickbusch, Zelia Maria Profeta da Luz, Kate Raworth, Dr Vera Songwe and Dame Marilyn Waring (see bottom of page: WHO Council on the Economics of Health For All).

26 October 2021 News release (WHO)

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October 26, 2021 0 comments

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M8 Alliance Declaration: From Words to Action World Health Summit 2021

by Public Health Update October 26, 2021

written by Public Health Update

The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over and we have to explore and implement innovative and effective measures to defeat this virus and to prepare for future threats.

The World Health Summit joins the voices that call for a new multilateralism and a new social contract.

Determination, cooperation and good leadership are required. Leaders need to act with determination to fight the pandemic nationally and globally. Societies and their representatives must also engage with foresight, in order to put into place a coherent ecosystem that will significantly improve pandemic preparedness and response. Jointly they must address flaws in the local and international governance mechanisms that proved to be inadequate during the crises.

There must be an end to the cycles of panic and neglect.
A new approach is needed, not only for pandemic threats but also for other risks such as climate change, chronic diseases and food security – any preparedness and response strategies must move beyond silos and beyond a predominantly national focus. Risks are global and political priorities must reflect this. No one is safe until everyone is safe.

The World Health Summit and its partners together with the M8 Alliance call for determined action to:

achieve vaccine equity by overcoming vaccine nationalism and vaccine hesitancy by sharing vaccines, increasing production in the global south, and supporting a TRIPS waiver;
strengthening the efforts of partners from the Global South with the aim of developing more contextualized and effective approaches to global health challenges;
strengthen global health architecture in the face of a fragmentation and decoupling of global health decision making; and
support all countries to invest in Primary Health Care as the foundation of health systems and pandemic preparedness and end the underinvestment in public health, and recognize the contribution of women.

But that is not enough.

Political leaders must confront the underlying geopolitical tensions, social vulnerabilities and structural inequalities in their societies and between countries – it is the most vulnerable that are paying the price with their health and lives in this pandemic.

The World Health Summit stresses the fact that health is a human right and health security will only be achieved together with social and human security. Mechanisms driving and perpetuating inequity must be addressed.

The World Health Summit proposes 7 priority areas for action by political leaders to give global health structural and operational strength which corresponds to its impact on quality of life of people worldwide :

To ensure a global health governance approach that is backed and supported by all countries, and that values equity in health for all.
To move from an ad hoc, charity-based model of development assistance to a sustainable and predictable financing model that allows reliable pandemic preparedness and response mechanisms – the G20 proposals must lay the basis for such an approach in 2021 and beyond.
To strengthen the constitutional mandate of the World Health Organisation politically and financially, through a significant increase in the assessed contributions by member states.
To increase cooperation between health and other sectors, such as finance and education, to achieve a common understanding of the domestic and global investments required to achieve better health, and to build a new economics of health for all that supports Primary Health Care and invests in a stronger health workforce.
To establish a multilateral health architecture built on trust, mutual accountability, information sharing and transparency, including data solidarity.
To increase the support of integrated preparedness approaches such as ONEHEALTH, planetary health and integration of key global health issues like women’s health, mental health and NCDs in health systems.
To provide a strong binding political agreement and overarching umbrella on pandemic preparedness and response through negotiating a global Pandemic Treaty.

We call on the French and Czech Presidencies of the European Union to maintain strong support for multilateralism, and to lead the way for a new global social contract for pandemic preparedness. We call on the G7/G20 Presidencies 2022 of Germany and Indonesia to drive forward the vaccine equity agenda, and support the urgent governance and financing measures required to make it happen.

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October 26, 2021 0 comments

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Health Ministers commit to renew, accelerate efforts to end TB in South-East Asia

by Public Health Update October 26, 2021

written by Public Health Update

Press release 1770 (WHO SEARO)

New Delhi, 26 October 2021 – The Ministers of Health of countries in WHO South-East Asia Region today committed to renew and accelerate efforts to end tuberculosis, in view of the pandemic disrupting services and leading to increase in TB cases in the already high-burden Region.

“Despite being a preventable and treatable, TB kills more than a million people every year, almost half of them in the WHO South East-Asia Region. We must intensify effort towards ending TB,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom, Director-General, WHO, addressing a High-Level Meeting for Renewed TB Response.

GLOBAL TUBERCULOSIS REPORT 2021

Inaugurating the meeting, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region, said, “Immediate steps are needed to scale-up preventive, diagnostic and treatment services for TB, and significantly bolster social protection measures while specifically addressing undernutrition among the vulnerable populations.”

At the day-long meeting held virtually, the Ministers of Health signed on a ‘Ministerial Statement of Commitment’ unanimously committing to actualize and intensify essential interventions. The meeting was organized by ministries of health of India, Indonesia, and Nepal and WHO South-East Asia Regional Office.

The Ministers committed to multi-sectoral and whole of society approach to end TB with national programs led by the highest possible political level, and closely monitored for targets.

They agreed to increase budgetary and human resource allocations including upfront investments required to catch-up on lost ground during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that US$ 3 billion may be needed annually to implement comprehensive set of interventions required to end TB in the Region.

The Ministerial statement called for ensuring the highest attainable standards of rights-based, stigma-free, quality-assured and people-centric services. It emphasized that preventive, diagnostic, treatment, rehabilitative and palliative care, should be accessible to all including migrants, prisoners, children, the aged and other high-risk populations such as people with TB/HIV co-infections.

The statement called for increasing outreach of care by strengthening services at all possible health centers and use of innovative care and delivery approaches such as digital health and efficient use of technology to reach the unreached.

The Ministers of Health committed to mainstream social and financial protection along with TB care services. Poverty and undernutrition are among the biggest contributor to TB disease. Systematic provision of socioeconomic support, adapted to country context, to the patient and family are essential and more relevant in the COVID-19 era, the statement said.

It called for social support to TB patients and their families from the time of development of symptoms, to diagnosis till the successful treatment completion and in some case beyond treatment to address the sequelae, to achieve the goal of eliminating catastrophic financial losses.

The Ministerial statement emphasized on empowerment and engagement of community and civil society representatives in planning, monitoring, organizing and providing for such support to ensure a people-centered response.

The Regional Director said, “While we continue to work together to mobilize political and financial commitment, we will also continue to provide rapid and relevant guidance and technical assistance to all countries in the Region.”

“Together, let us renew and reinvigorate our commitment to End TB, for a fairer, healthier, more health-secure and sustainable Region and world for all,” Dr Khetrapal Singh said.

Representatives of partner agencies – Global Fund, Stop TB Partnership, JICA, ADB, World Bank, US Embassy, among others, participated in the meeting.

TB and WHO South-East Asia Region

Despite being a preventable and curable disease, TB is the world’s top infectious killer.

The WHO South-East Asia Region, home to a quarter of the world’s population, bears 43% of the global TB burden and one third of the global burden of drug resistant TB.

Hence, in 2017 Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh announced ‘Accelerated efforts to end TB’ as a regional flagship. At a high-level meeting, Ministers of Health and WHO adopted a ‘Call to Action’ committing to more resources and action to end the disease.

In 2018, the Region renewed its commitment to further intensify efforts and ensure rapid and concrete progress to end TB by 2030.

With concerted efforts and highest-level commitment, progress was being made to trace and treat the affected to curtail the TB epidemic. Notification of TB cases increased to ~3.6 million cases in 2019 from ~2.6 million cases in 2015. As a result, the total treatment coverage increased by about 30%. The treatment success rate among new drug-sensitive TB (DS-TB) patients increased from 79% among the 2014 cohort to 84% for the 2018 cohort. Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand were on track to achieve the 2020 End TB milestones for reduction in mortality while Myanmar was also on track to reach the milestone for reduction in incidence rate.

However, the pandemic reversed the progress by disrupting access to health services and exacerbating social factors like poverty and undernutrition. Over 4.3 million TB cases are estimated to have emerged in 2020 with the region accounting for 43% of all new TB cases globally.

Press release 1770 (WHO SEARO)

One Young World 2022 Tokyo Summit, 16-19 May

by Public Health Update October 24, 2021

written by Public Health Update

Overview

One Young World is the global forum for young leaders. One Young World identifies, promotes and connects the world’s most impactful young leaders to create a better world, with more responsible, more effective leadership.

The annual One Young World Summit convenes the brightest young talent from every country and sector, working to accelerate social impact. Delegates from 190+ countries are counselled by influential political, business and humanitarian leaders such as Justin Trudeau, Paul Polman and Meghan Markle.

Delegates return to their communities and organisations with the means and motivation to make a difference, accessing the global network of 12,000+ young leaders.

Delegates participate in four transformative days of speeches, panels, networking and workshops. All Delegates have the opportunity to apply to give keynote speeches, sharing a platform with world leaders with the world’s media in attendance. As well as listening to keynote speakers, Delegates have the opportunity to challenge world leaders, interact and be mentored by influencers. Delegates make lasting connections throughout the Summit, celebrating their participation at social events and the unforgettable Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

The One Young World 2022

The One Young World 2022 Tokyo Summit will take place from in May 2022 with over 2,000 young leaders from 190+ countries using the Summit as a platform to demonstrate the increasing importance of young leaders and the value they create in the world today. One Young World’s arrival in Tokyo presents Japan and its Asian neighbours with a unique and timely opportunity; a chance for young leaders to truly deliver the actions necessary to create the sustainable future that we all demand, where everyone has a role to play and no one is left behind.

You are eligible for a scholarship if you:

Are between the ages of 18 – 30 at the time of the Summit
Have an evidenced commitment to delivering positive change
Demonstrate capacity for leadership
Are addressing key local and/or global issues in your work
Have a track record of generating impactful and innovative ideas

Please note that scholarship places are very competitive; last year we received 50,000+ applications for just 440 places.

Register your interest: HERE

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October 24, 2021 0 comments

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State of The World’s Hand Hygiene 2021

by Public Health Update October 23, 2021

written by Public Health Update

Investing $1 per person per year in hand hygiene could save hundreds of thousands of lives

Overview

The 2021 State of The World’s Hand Hygiene report launched on Global Handwashing Day by WHO and UNICEF, highlights that an annual cost to governments of promoting handwashing with soap at home comes to just 2.5 per cent of the average government health expenditure in these countries — making it a highly cost-effective investment, providing outsized health benefits for relatively little cost.

This report is the first of its kind. It brings together various data sets to present the current status of hand hygiene, highlight lagging progress, and call governments and supporting agencies to action, offering numerous inspiring examples of change.
State of The World’s Hand Hygiene 2021

The State of the World’s Hand Hygiene report draws on a recent study by WHO and UNICEF that estimated that achieving hand hygiene for all households by 2030 in 46 of the least-developed countries of the world would cost a total of US$11 billion. This is equivalent to 25 US dollar cents per capita per year on promotion efforts, and 66 US dollar cents per capita per year on handwashing facilities. Promotion costs, usually borne by governments, would be equivalent to 2.5% of median government health expenditure in the 46 least developed countries. The costs of facilities, most often borne by households, would equal 25 dollars per year for each unserved household. The study also highlights that with an additional 20 cents per person one-to-one hygiene promotion would be possible, shown to be highly effective.

The costs of achieving hand hygiene can be estimated by examining the many possible interventions to support it, grouped under facilities to practice hand hygiene on the one hand and the promotion of behaviours required on the other. There are both capital, one-off costs and recurring maintenance costs associated with hand hygiene.

The report brings together dispersed data sets on hand hygiene access and underlying national policies and investments to highlight lagging progress; and calls member states and supporting agencies to action, offering numerous inspiring examples of change.

Hand hygiene, one of the first lines of defence against the spread of infectious diseases, remains out of reach for billions of people who still lack hand hygiene facilities at home, school, or health care facilities.

Globally, 3 in 10 people, or 2.3 billion, lack a handwashing facility with water and soap at home; 818 million children lack a handwashing facility with soap and water at school in 2020, and health workers in 1 in 3 healthcare facilities lack hand hygiene facilities at the points at which they provide care — placing them all at preventable risk of disease even at the best of times. Almost 2 billion people depend on health care facilities that don’t even have basic water services.

5 key actions

To speed up progress, governments should prioritize 5 key actions:

Good governance through leadership, effective coordination and regulation, including clear policies on handwashing services and behaviours in all settings.
Smart public finance to ensure maximum impact and stimulate investments from households and the private sector.
Assessment of current capacity with respect to their hand hygiene policy and strategies, identification of gaps and development of capacity-building strategies based on the rigorous application of best practice.
Governments should address the need for consistent data on hand hygiene in order to inform decision-making and make investments strategic.
Governments and supporting agencies should encourage innovation, particularly on the part of the private sector, in order to roll out hand hygiene in all settings.

Download: State of the world’s hand hygiene

PostDoctoral Fellowship in Global Tobacco Research

by Public Health Update October 23, 2021

written by Public Health Update

Overview

A formal training program for postdoctoral fellows who can contribute to tobacco control research and build the tobacco control workforce in low- and middle-income countries.

Fellows will spend 15-18 months in the United States (Atlanta, GA) and the last 6-9 months at a host institution in their home country.

The primary goal of this program is to provide training in tobacco control science and policy.

Fellows will spend 15-18 months in the United States (Atlanta, GA) and the last 6-9 months at a host institution in their home country.

The primary goal of this program is to provide training in tobacco control science and policy.

Program Overview

As smoking rates decline in developed countries, it is natural for tobacco control efforts to refocus on low- and middle-income countries that are often short on resources and formally trained tobacco control personnel. The Postdoctoral Fellowship in Global Tobacco Research is offered by Georgia State University’s School of Public Health and the CDC Foundation to provide formal training for postdoctoral fellows who can contribute to tobacco control research and build the tobacco control workforce in low- and middle-income countries.

Over the next three years, four postdoctoral fellows will be trained from low- and middle-income countries. The primary goal of this program is to provide training in tobacco control science and policy so that the candidates can return to their native countries and be leaders in their country’s tobacco control efforts, including expanding tobacco control workforce capacity. In the two-year training program, fellows will spend 15-18 months in the United States (Atlanta, GA) and the last 6-9 months at a host institution in their home country.

Program Location

The School of Public Health at Georgia State University is an ideal place to train future global tobacco control leaders. As a premier urban Doctoral/Research Extensive University, Georgia State University has been consistently ranked for the past several years in the top three for innovation and commitment to undergraduate teaching among US schools. Georgia State also is a minority-serving institution that is first nationwide among non-profit institutions for graduating African American students.

The School of Public Health has been exceptionally successful in training international professionals, having hosted over eighty-five Fulbright students since 2006 and training ten postdoctoral fellows (six international) in tobacco research since 2015. The School of Public Health has also managed professional exchange programs with China, having hosted visiting fellows from the Chengdu CDC and Qingdao Health Department.

The School of Public Health has seven faculty who have or are currently serving in leadership roles in tobacco control with the CDC, WHO, FDA, non-profit organizations, and local governments. All of them are PIs on NIH, CDC, and foundation tobacco control research grants, which will provide research opportunities for the fellows. All of the faculty have extensive mentorship experience, including training postdoctoral fellows.

During the Postdoctoral Training Program, Georgia State University and the CDC Foundation will work together to prioritize and name various tracks of tobacco control research that are considered priorities of the CDC Foundation, in line with the faculty expertise at Georgia State, of interest to the postdoctoral candidates, and meet a tobacco control need in each fellow’s home country.

PROPOSED TRACKS INCLUDE:

Economics and taxation
Nicotine and emerging tobacco products
Tobacco regulatory science
Leveraging technology to promote cessation
Novel methods and data science for tobacco control (i.e. novel surveillance, artificial intelligence, modeling, data interpretation)

Program Application

HOW TO APPLY

Candidates should submit the following documents to the Postdoctoral Fellowship in Global Tobacco Research Submission Portal.

Cover letter (including synopsis of achievements, research interests, career objectives, and reasons for applying to this program)
Curriculum vitae
Transcripts: All graduate or professional school transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of the submission; official transcripts will be required prior to starting the position. Transcripts in other languages should be translated into English (unofficial translation is acceptable).
Three (3) letters of recommendation should be submitted directly by the referees via the Reference Submission Portal.

ELIGIBILITY

A completed Doctorate/Equivalent Degree (PhD, DrPH, MD, DDS, JD) by the start of the program
Being a citizen of low- or middle-income country
Prior tobacco control experience is desired, but not required. Prior training may be in public health, epidemiology, communication, economics, social sciences, or other disciplines.
Fellows are selected on the basis of scholastic record, recommendations, and commitment to pursuing a career in tobacco research in their home countries.

TRAINING

The training program will combine rigorous didactic coursework and mentored research in the US that will enable the trainees to develop skills and knowledge in tobacco control, policy, research methods, and grant writing, ultimately allowing them to obtain high-impact academic, governmental, or civil society positions. The trainee will be working with a primary mentor (one of Georgia State seven faculty who have or are currently serving in leadership roles in tobacco control with the CDC, WHO, FDA, non-profit organizations, and local governments) and will receive additional mentorship from the collaborators at the CDC Foundation, the CDC, and other organizations. For the home country portion of the training, the fellows will be placed in a local university, governmental, or civil society organization in their home country. Each fellow with work with their mentors to develop an Individual Development Plan in the area of their interest and in a track that meets a tobacco control need in their home country. Some example tracks are:

Economics and taxation
Nicotine and emerging tobacco products
Tobacco regulatory science
Global tobacco surveillance
Leveraging technology to promote cessation
Novel methods and data science for tobacco control (i.e. novel surveillance, artificial intelligence, modeling, data interpretation)

BENEFITS

The fellows will receive an annual stipend ($53,000-$58,000, commensurate with experience) throughout the full duration of the program, with full benefits including health, dental, and other insurance options. The program will cover relocation expenses for the fellow from and to their home country, travel funds to attend research conferences, and research funds to purchase computers, software, and to cover additional research expenses, as a well as a honorarium to a home country mentor.

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with the priority given to those submitted by November 15, 2021. Applications submitted after this date will be reviewed if the job has not been filled yet. Start date is January 1, 2022 (with some flexibility). The appointment is for two years contingent on performance.

Official Link

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October 23, 2021 0 comments

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Toolkit for establishing laws to eliminate lead paint

by Public Health Update October 23, 2021

written by Public Health Update

Overview

This toolkit was developed by a group of partners of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (Lead Paint Alliance), including industry, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations and government representatives. It is designed to provide information to government officials who are interested in establishing legal limits for lead in paints in their countries. However, all interested stakeholders wishing to understand the issue and galvanize action are welcome to use the information as well.

Lead poisoning from lead in paint is preventable and there are cost-effective, technically feasible alternatives to lead in paint. This toolkit, through the modules below, will provide information on why lead is a public health and environmental concern, explain current testing methods and describe the existing market. It will also give insight into what other countries have done regarding restrictions on lead use in paint.

Take Action

Raising Awareness: Raising and maintaining awareness about the hazards of lead is important to stimulate action by governments, enterprises and others. It also informs individuals about how to protect themselves and their families from lead exposure. This module provides information about the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action and how any organization can plan and organize a lead-awareness campaign. It also provides examples of lead poisoning prevention campaign materials and activities.

Establishing Lead Paint Laws

Once your government is ready to take action use this module, (provided by the UN Environmental Programme, Division of Law and Conventions) as a framework for establishing legal limits on lead in paint. It discusses (placeholder).

Toolkit for establishing laws to eliminate lead paint (UNEP)

International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2021

by Public Health Update October 23, 2021

written by Public Health Update

Overview

Each year 24 -30 October 2021 is observed as the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. The aim of International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week is to draw attention to the health impacts of lead exposure, highlight efforts by countries and partners to prevent childhood lead exposure, and accelerate efforts to phase out the use of lead in paint. Even though there is wide recognition of the harmful effects of lead and many countries have taken action, exposure to lead, particularly in childhood, remains of key concern to healthcare providers and public health officials worldwide.

Toolkit for establishing laws to eliminate lead paint

Objective

To raise awareness about health effects of lead exposure;
To highlight the efforts of countries and partners to prevent lead exposure, particularly in children; and
To urge further action to eliminate lead paint through regulatory action at country level.

International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2021: Working together for a world without lead paint

The Ninth International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW) takes place on 24–30 October 2021. This week of action is an initiative of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (the Lead Paint Alliance), which is jointly led by the UN Environment Programme and WHO. The manufacture and sale of lead paint is still permitted in over 55% of countries, presenting a continuing and future source of lead exposure for children and workers. The focus of this year’s week of action is on the need to accelerate progress towards the global phase out of lead paint through regulatory and legal measures.

Call for action

Lead exposure from paint is entirely preventable. Paints for a range of uses can be manufactured without the addition of lead compounds. WHO calls on all countries that have not yet done so to establish the necessary legally binding measures to stop the use of lead in paint.

Source of info: WHO

Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) 2021

by Public Health Update October 21, 2021

written by Public Health Update

Background

Established by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong in 2009, the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) aims at attracting the best and brightest students in the world to pursue their PhD studies in Hong Kong’s universities.

Eligibility

Candidates who are seeking admission as new full time PhD students in the following eight universities, irrespective of their country of origin, prior work experience and ethnic background, should be eligible to apply.

City University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong Baptist University
Lingnan University
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Education University of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The University of Hong Kong

Applicants should demonstrate outstanding qualities of academic performance, research ability / potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities.

Fellowship Award

The Fellowship provides an annual stipend of HK$322,800 (approximately US$41,400) and a conference and research-related travel allowance of HK$13,500 (approximately US$1,730) per year for each awardee for a period up to three years. 300 PhD Fellowships will be awarded in the 2022/23 academic year*. For awardees who need more than three years to complete the PhD degree, additional support may be provided by the chosen universities. For details, please contact the universities concerned directly.

* Universities in Hong Kong normally start their academic year in September.

Selection Panel

Shortlisted applications, subject to their areas of studies, will be reviewed by one of the following two Selection Panels comprising experts in the relevant board areas:

Sciences, Medicine, Engineering and Technology
Humanities, Social Sciences and Business Studies

Selection Criteria

While candidates’ academic excellence is of primary consideration, the Selection Panels will take into account factors as follows:

Academic excellence;
Research ability and potential;
Communication and interpersonal skills; and
Leadership abilities.

How to Apply

Eligible candidates should first make an Initial Application online through the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme Electronic System (HKPFSES) to obtain an HKPFS Reference Number by 1 December 2021 at Hong Kong Time 12:00:00 before submitting applications for PhD admission to their desired universities.

Applicants may choose up to two programmes / departments at one or two universities for PhD study under HKPFS 2022/23. They should comply with the admission requirements of their selected universities and programmes.

As the deadlines for applications to some of the universities may immediately follow that of the Initial Application, candidates should submit initial applications as early as possible to ensure that they have sufficient time to submit applications to universities.

Step 1: Submit Initial Application to Research Grants Council

Step 2: Submit Full Applications to Proposed Universities

October 21, 2021 0 comments

Public Health Opportunities Public Health Events Public Health Opportunity

Application Open! Leadership Mentoring Programme 2021

by Public Health Update October 20, 2021

written by Public Health Update

The British Embassy in Kathmandu invites young women to apply to join a mentoring programme from women-led organisations by 16 November 2021.

The British Embassy in Kathmandu believes that building and promoting supportive relationships is key to empowering women and girls. So, on this International Day of the Girl Child 2021, we are calling all young women in Nepal to apply to be a part of a year-long mentoring programme run by a group of embassies and development agencies led by women.

Successful candidates will have the opportunity to be mentored by female ambassadors and heads of agencies in Kathmandu, to help enhance your leadership skills.

What we are offering

The successful applicants will be mentored by one of the following mentors:

British Ambassador to Nepal, Her Excellency Nicola Pollitt
Australian Ambassador to Nepal, Her Excellency Felicity Volk
EU Ambassador to Nepal, Her Excellency Nona Duprez
Swiss Ambassador to Nepal, Her Excellency Elisabeth von Capeller
Head of USAID, Sepideh Keyvanshad
Country Director of British Council Nepal, Shahida MacDougall
United Nations Resident Coordinator, Sara Beysolow Nyanti
UNICEF Representative for Nepal, Elke Wisch
Resident Representative of UNDP, Ayshanie Medagangoda-Labe

For the successful candidates, the programme will include:

Six personalised mentoring sessions with your mentor focused on skills that are essential for development of leadership and career growth. You will be encouraged to talk about your priorities, including setting career goals, planning, networking, communications, and your personal brand.
Opportunities for networking. You will be invited to join relevant events and meetings hosted by one or more of the embassies taking part, to enable you to participate in discussions on pertinent issues and build a useful network.
A day of ‘job-shadowing’ with senior officials from the embassies and agencies. If conditions permit, you will have the opportunity to shadow senior officials, including the ambassador/head of agency, to observe their daily work routines. We will plan a full day’s schedule for you.
Events that bring together all of you with all the mentors on or around International Women’s Day to celebrate women’s leadership.

All events, sessions and shadowing opportunities will be subject to COVID-19 conditions and may take place virtually or in small groups, depending on conditions at the time.

How to participate

Please apply by sending us a 1-minute video (maximum) of yourself by uploading it to WeTransfer, YouTube or on Google Drive and send the link to kathmandu.reception@fcdo.gov.uk explaining why you want to participate in this leadership mentoring programme and what you think the other countries and development agencies can do to empower youth in Nepal.

Please shoot the video in landscape or horizontal mode. Avoid having a busy background when recording and too much ambient noise. The video should be well lit and clearly show the participant. We encourage you to be creative with format and style of recording. Avoid sharing large files.

A selection committee of staff from the embassies, led by one or more ambassadors or heads, will review applications and select the best to take part in the scheme. We will be looking for:

enthusiasm
creativity
an understanding of how you will benefit from this opportunity
a clear idea of how you will use what you learn

What you need to know

If successful, you will be part of the first ever mentee cohort of 2021 to 2022. We will prepare a whole year’s schedule for you. But mentoring needs candidates to be proactive if it’s to succeed. You will have to make time for planning and reflecting, to take part in discussion sessions that will focus on agreed themes every 2 months, and for networking opportunities.

We particularly welcome applications from girls belonging to minority or marginalised communities.

Rules of the contest

The video, up to 60 seconds length, should be submitted as a link, such as via WeTransfer, YouTube or Google Drive and emailed to kathmandu.reception@fcdo.gov.uk with the subject line ‘Application: Leadership Mentoring Programme 2021’. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 16 November 2021 23:59 NPT.
If you have any queries, contact us at kathmandu.reception@fcdo.gov.uk with the subject line ‘Query: Leadership Mentoring Programme 2021’.
The video can be either in Nepali or in English.
When submitting your video, include your full name, age, place of residence and contact number(s) in a covering email.
Participation in the contest is open to women aged 18 to 30 residing in Nepal for the duration of the contest. Family members of staff at any of the embassies or organisations are regrettably not eligible to apply for this opportunity.
Submissions, including the personal data of those not selected, will be removed after the announcement of the winners.
The winners, to be selected by a special selection committee of staff from participating embassies/organisations, led by the British Ambassador Nicola Pollitt, will be announced by Tuesday 7 December 2021.
With agreement from applicants, winning videos may be shared on the social media channels of the British Embassy Kathmandu or on those of other participating organisations.
The work of the selection committee will remain confidential, and the decision may not be appealed.
Submissions shall be disqualified if they are found to be plagiarised or been submitted by those not eligible. Appropriate credit should be given to any other sources of the content.
The winners will be contacted by the organisers with logistic details and arrangements. The programme of sessions, events and opportunities will be determined by the organisers and shared with the successful mentees.
If the winners (and a chaperone, if required) need to travel from outside of Kathmandu to participate in the scheme, the organisers will cover reasonable travel expenses.
You should be prepared to bring a valid ID card displaying your photo and age/date of birth, on your arrival at any events.

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