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On April 12-14, 2007, representatives
from civil society, international organizations, and governments
gathered in Brasilia, Brazil for the Regional Meeting of Consultation
with Civil Society on the Social Determinants of Health. Participants
in attendance for this conference included the Minister of Health and
the Minister of Social Development of Brazil, the Vice-Minister of
Health of Chile, officials of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO),
the Organization of American States (OAS), and the World Health
Organization (WHO), the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of
Health, and representatives of civil society organizations who focus
their efforts on sectors including women, peasants, indigenous peoples,
afro-descendants, gypsies, sexual diversity, workers, social movements,
academics, shantytown inhabitants, and sick persons’ associations, among
others.
The objective of the Meeting was to
provide an opportunity for discussion and debate regarding the social
determinants of health, and for the WHO Commission on Social
Determinants of Health to note the contributions and recommendations of
civil society regarding this issue. Previous to the Meeting of
Consultation, the OAS Summits Secretariat collaborated with PAHO to
carry out a virtual consultation which included the dissemination and
collection of questionnaires to civil society on the social determinants
of health. During the Regional Meeting, the Summits Secretariat
presented the outcomes of the virtual consultation in a
presentation and accompanying
document.
The meeting agenda consisted of six
sessions in which participants made presentations and engaged in
discussion on thematic areas such as government policies and programs
for promoting quality of life and health, globalization and the
universal right to health, social exclusion, income and work conditions,
environment, urbanization and intersectoral policies, education,
culture, ethnicity, gender and discrimination, and civil society action
on the social determinants of health. On the second day, participants
formulated conclusions on the themes in question in moderated working
groups.
The
Charter of Brasilia emanated from the discussions held over the
three days of the Regional Meeting. This document outlines the civil
society perspectives, recommendations, and commitments regarding the
social determinants of health. Among its contents, the Charter of
Brasilia calls for a civil society alliance based on ancestral
principles and knowledge of indigenous people and traditional
communities and for commitments to the process from the region’s
governments and international organizations. Participants appealed to
governments and international organizations, including WHO, PAHO, and
the OAS, to work with civil society organizations to strengthen policies
and programs related to social determinants of health. Finally, the
Charter of Brasilia pledges to publicize the discussion among popular
organizations and social movements in order to include their viewpoints
and contributions and to enlist their active participation in the social
determinants of health debate.
Further outcomes of the Meeting were
reflected in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the
Ministries of Health of Brazil and Chile, both countries that lent their
support to the Regional Meeting of Consultation with Civil Society. The
Memorandum elaborated a series of commitments to promote and develop
cooperation in the area of human health, with a mention of policies
related to the social determinants of health, among others.
Additionally, PAHO and WHO officials indicated their desire to continue
the process of civil society consultation at the regional and
hemispheric levels on this important issue.
More information on
the Regional Meeting of Consultation with Civil Society on Social
Determinants of Health is available on the
OAS Civil Society website.
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