Opening Remarks
Health and Humanitarian Challenges
Dr Farhat Mantoo, Executive Director, MSF South Asia
In her opening remarks, Dr Farhat Mantoo reflects on two decades of transformative progress. She underscores the pivotal role of communities in healthcare advancement, igniting a call for collective action and collaboration. In a world undergoing rapid technological, economic, and informational change, her address explores the evolving dynamics of human mobility, offering a vision for sustainable humanitarian access. She probes the complexities of defining the term ‘refugee’ and advocates for impartial solutions to human mobility debates. Climate change’s looming effects, projected to displace 40 million in South Asia by 2050, put the spotlight on health equity as a pressing social justice issue. Drawing upon MSF’s experience, she highlights the pandemic’s impact on access to treatment and global public goods and the need for future treaties and dialogue prioritizing parity.
Keynote Address
Inequality is bad for your health
P. Sainath, Author, Veteran Journalist
In his keynote address, P Sainath sheds light on the glaring social inequities that were aggravated during the pandemic. He speaks about how the number of billionaires in the health sector has doubled lately, and this troubling statistic underscores a skewed set of priorities in today’s world. He delves into the harsh realities faced by vulnerable communities in India as the nation grapples with a high number of female unpaid laborers, a sobering reflection of gender disparities. While the pandemic saw the boom of online education, few companies minted billions, but a large chunk of the population was deprived of accessible and quality digital learning. The disruption of essential programs like mid-day meals and the provision of sanitary napkins in schools further exacerbated the plight of children, with the health of girls being disproportionately affected. Sainath underscores that the pandemic disrupted access to healthcare, with marginalized groups like the transgender community suffering excessively. In a world where data denial prevails, Sainath’s address calls for profound introspection, urging society to confront these stark realities and work towards a more equitable future.
Closing Remarks
Ambassador Vijay Nambiar, Retired Indian Diplomat who served as Chief de Cabinet under UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 2007-2012
Ambassador Vijay Nambiar’s closing remarks highlight the changes that are reshaping humanitarian efforts. With millions of people affected by crises across the globe, he calls for a paradigm shift in aid strategies and a more equitable allocation of funding. He emphasizes the urgent need for universal healthcare access, challenging the prevailing security-driven health approach and advocating for a broader perspective that considers social determinants. He spotlights the perils of misinformation during crises and underlines technology-driven solutions. Addressing conflicts and access issues, he urges collaboration with communities. Nambiar closes with a call for a planet-focused global health security approach, emphasizing flexibility and determination to save lives and offer hope.
Forced from Home: Humanitarian Considerations for Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Migrants
This discussion delves into critical humanitarian issues that affect refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. It highlights inequities such as the immense, unpaid healthcare work that is being undertaken in the South Asia region and the disparities in online education accessibility. The challenges faced by vulnerable communities have been exacerbated by the devastating impact of climate change. In Bangladesh, cyclones, floods, and landslides have compelled many people to abandon their homes in 2022. The Cox’s Bazar community, already home to over one million Rohingya refugees, faces increasingly worsening conditions due to shrinking water sources.
Safety nets need to be created for vulnerable populations. However, this requires that challenges in legal frameworks and gaps in policy and practice are duly addressed. The panelists discuss the importance of codifying rules from the 1952 Refugee Convention into national laws and addressing the complexity of repatriation. The discussion underscores the need for global attention, advocacy and international agreements to ensure the safe return of forcibly displaced individuals. This discussion emphasizes the importance of collaborative efforts, legal structures, and worldwide attention to address these pressing humanitarian concerns effectively. The insights serve as a powerful call to action for governments, organizations, and individuals alike to work towards a more equitable and compassionate world for refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants.
How COVID has shaped Justice and Equity for Access to Treatment
This discussion revolves around equitable healthcare and the critical lessons that have been learned from the Covid-19 pandemic. The panelists emphasize the pressing need for investment in public healthcare, highlighting that the privatization model does not work effectively in ensuring healthcare access for all. The speakers delve into the inequities that were witnessed in terms of access to vaccination during the pandemic. At the onset, leaders worldwide declared diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines as ‘global public goods.’ However, despite early promises of global solidarity, a lack thereof became evident. By the end of 2021, many low and middle-income countries had not received their first vaccine dose, even though some high-income countries had excessive vaccine stockpiles. The discussion recognizes the over-reliance on imports and donations, particularly from rich countries and Big Pharma and highlights the need for diversification and self-reliance in medical supply chains.
The discussion sheds light on the challenges during these transformative times and evolving better strategies. Issues such as medicine patents and the high costs of crucial drugs need to be tackled with the decentralization of treatments and improved accessibility to medicines. While progress has been made, comprehensive infrastructure, skilled manpower, and robust strategies are essential to ensuring healthcare access for all.
Bracing for Impact: Health and Humanitarian Responses in the Context of “security threats”
This discussion explores the intersection of security, healthcare, and human rights and focuses on the imperative of prioritizing people’s well-being when considering security in the context of healthcare. It explores the crucial dilemma that emerged during Covid-19 about the balance between individual rights and the collective approach to protect public health. The panel acknowledges that while legal frameworks exist for health emergencies, they may not always be adequately implemented or respected. In an interconnected world, health crises transcend borders, necessitating international collaboration and comprehensive planning during emergencies.
The concept of planetary health has taken center stage, and the well-being of all living beings is intricately linked to the environment. Understanding this connection is crucial in mitigating risks and proactively promoting global public health. The panel underscores the importance of shifting the focus from reacting to problems to preventing them. Recognizing the symbiotic relationship between human health and the environment, panelists emphasize the need for holistic strategies that encompass both planetary and human health. The discussion calls for a comprehensive approach that acknowledges the interconnectedness of global challenges and emphasizes the crucial role of human rights in shaping a healthier, more secure future for all.
Past is prologue: Building Community Resilience to Combat Mis/Disinformation in Emergencies
In an era of instant information, this discussion delves into the complexities of managing healthcare narratives and combating misinformation during emergencies. The discussion emphasizes the critical role of community resilience in tackling this challenge. Misinformation in healthcare narratives erodes trust, disrupts communication, and has far-reaching consequences. The proliferation of smartphones without corresponding digital literacy has compounded the problem. Consequently, an alarming rate of individuals lack the skills to verify online information. Political factions sometimes exploit this vulnerability, making individuals susceptible to unquestioningly accepting misleading content, especially on platforms like WhatsApp. Language barriers further complicate the process of comprehending information, alienating marginalized or vulnerable groups from accurate information.
While Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds promise in promoting accurate health information, a lack of comprehensive AI regulations raises reliability concerns. Detecting disinformation is one challenge; tracing its origin and circulation presents an even greater one. To address the mis/disinformation crisis, media literacy must be prioritized. Understanding data privacy regulations and empowering individuals to recognize and combat misinformation is equally vital. Fact-checking initiatives, led by specialized groups and adopted by civil society organizations, play a key role in disseminating accurate content. These initiatives are essential in fostering community resilience against misinformation. Mis/disinformation during emergencies is a multifaceted challenge and requires a collective approach to tackle it.
public health. The panel underscores the importance of shifting the focus from reacting to problems to preventing them. Recognizing the symbiotic relationship between human health and the environment, panelists emphasize the need for holistic strategies that encompass both planetary and human health. The discussion calls for a comprehensive approach that acknowledges the interconnectedness of global challenges and emphasizes the crucial role of human rights in shaping a healthier, more secure future for all.