1 May 2002
-
- United
Nations
- Economic
and Social Council
- Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
- First
Session, 13-24 May 2002, New York
- Item 6
of the provisional agenda
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND HEALTH
A Briefing
Paper For The Permanent Forum On Indigenous Issues
Prepared by the
Committee on Indigenous Health
Annex 3
WHO
ADVISORY GROUP ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ HEALTH
DRAFT TERMS OF REFERENCE
Introduction
The “International
Consultation on the Health of Indigenous Peoples”, 23-26 November 1999-+,
Geneva, specifically recommended the establishment of an informal
Indigenous Peoples’ Health Advisory Group, as WHO’s counterpart in all
activities related to indigenous peoples’ health. WHO had held the
Consultation with close collaboration of the Committee on Indigenous
Health,
a representative global indigenous body formed in 1997. The establishment
of an Indigenous Peoples’ Health Advisory Group is consistent with the
developments within the United Nations system, and particularly within
WHO, since the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action
in 1993.
The World Health Assembly, in
1994, had requested “the establishment of a core advisory group of
indigenous representatives with special knowledge of the health needs and
resources of their communities” in order to ensure the close
co-operation of indigenous peoples in WHO’s regional activities to plan
and implement the objectives of the International Decade of the World’s
Indigenous People (WHA47.27, paragraph 2). Subsequent WHA resolutions
called upon the Director-General to continue to work in close co-operation
with indigenous peoples in progressing indigenous peoples’ health
development (WHA48.24, WHA49.26, WHA50.31 and WHA51.24).
As we pass the mid-point of
the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, one key
objective of the Decade that has direct relevance to WHO’s commitment and
on-going activities has been achieved. On 4 December 2000, the United
Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing a Permanent
Forum on Indigenous Issues at the level of the Economic and Social Council
(ECOSOC).
The Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues shall serve as an advisory body to ECOSOC with a mandate
to discuss indigenous issues relating to economic and social development,
culture, the environment, education, health and human rights. The Forum
will provide expert advice and recommendations on indigenous issues to the
Council as well as to programmes, funds and agencies of the United
Nations. It will further raise awareness and promote the integration and
co-ordination of activities relating to indigenous issues within the
United Nations system. The activities of this Forum are relevant to WHO
because of WHO’s established relationship with ECOSOC.
Presently, within WHO Head
Quarters, indigenous peoples’ health in the framework of the Decade’s
goals is placed in the Cluster, Sustainable Development and Healthy
Environments (SDE), and specifically within the department of Health in
Sustainable Development (HSD). The main areas of work in HSD are Poverty
and Health Sector Policies; Globalisation and Cross-sectoral Policies; and
Health and Human Rights.
The establishment of an
indigenous peoples’ group by WHO to advise and act as a resource is
extremely well-timed in the context of the developments concerning
indigenous peoples’ issues within the United Nations system. This advisory
group is an extremely relevant and innovative development for the
organisation in that it is one important initial step in a process of
establishing a permanent partnership with indigenous peoples and
augmenting indigenous peoples’ substantive input into all WHO activities
that are relevant to them. The Group will also play an important role by
supplementing institutional building and strengthening within WHO to
address the complex issues of indigenous peoples and health.
NOMENCLATURE
An on-going Advisory Group
on Indigenous Peoples’ Health (AGIPH) will advise WHO’s
Department of Health in Sustainable Development (HSD) and the Focal Point
for the Decade on all activities concerning the health of indigenous
peoples. There shall be thirteen (13) members, who shall all be
indigenous persons.
MANDATE
The AGIPH will be placed,
inter alia, at the level of the Department of Health in Sustainable
Development (HSD), within WHO, and HSD together with the Focal Point will
function as the secretariat, with appropriate strengthening if necessary.
A meeting of the AGIPH should
have a minimum quorum of two-thirds of its members present. All decisions
made by the AGIPH will be by consensus.
The AGIPH will be an informal
body of indigenous persons functioning in a technical advisory capacity to
HSD/WHO in its role, inter alia, as WHO Focal Point for the Health of
Indigenous Peoples. Should another department or organisational level
within WHO succeed HSD, or be named in addition to HSD, to undertake
activities as WHO’s Focal Point for the health of indigenous peoples, the
AGIPH will also advise the succeeding or additionally designated
department or level with the same terms of reference.
The establishment of the
AGIPH does not preclude, should the need arise, the establishment other
mechanisms of partnership between WHO and indigenous peoples, whether to
succeed it or in addition to it.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
1.
Advise and make
recommendations of a technical nature on indigenous health issues to the
Department of Health in Sustainable Development (HSD), particularly to the
Focal Point, as to programmes, funds and collaborating centres, keeping in
mind the conclusions and recommendations of the International Consultation
on Indigenous Peoples’ Health, Geneva 2000.
2.
Advise HSD on raising
awareness about the value and validity of the indigenous concepts, systems
and institutions of health, keeping in mind existing and future
international standards, the Geneva Declaration on the Health and Survival
of Indigenous Peoples and other declarations relating to indigenous
peoples’ health made by indigenous peoples of the world.
3.
Promote the integration and
co-ordination of all activities within WHO relating to the health of
indigenous peoples.
4.
Advise and support HSD to
develop resource materials and education tools addressing different
audiences to promote awareness, preservation, protection and integration
of indigenous health systems, bearing in mind their region or country
specificity and appropriateness.
5.
Make recommendations to HSD
in seeking and securing financial support to plan, initiate and implement
health activities in keeping with the attainment of the goals of the
International Decade on the World’s Indigenous People and beyond, with the
support of WHO’s experience and expertise.
6.
Advise in the prioritising of
indigenous peoples’ health research issues, development of a research
agenda, identification of indigenous researchers/partners and the
allocation of research funding, in accordance with indigenous peoples’
perceptions and needs.
7.
Advise in the identification
of training or capacity enhancement needs of indigenous scholars or
scientists.
8.
Advise and make
recommendations in the process of identification and designation of
initially two WHO Collaborating Centres (one in the North and one in the
South) on indigenous peoples’ health.
9.
Advise and review technical
documents and papers prepared by WHO on indigenous peoples’ health issues.
10.
After three years,
consultatively with WHO and the Committee on Indigenous Health, evaluate
and review the functioning of the AGIPH, including the method of selection
of its members in the light of the experience gained.
COORDINATION,
MEETINGS AND COMMUNICATION
The AGIPH will have a
Co-ordinator Executive of not more than two members which will co-ordinate
the activities of the entire group.
The AGIPH will meet for five
working days every year. The Co-ordinator Executive may meet as and when
required with the responsibility of steering the AGIPH’s activities,
preparations for and reporting of meetings. The time, duration and
purposes of the meetings shall be determined in consultation with HSD.
At other times, the AGIPH
will continue its work through electronic communications (e.g. Email,
Facsimile, etc.)
MEMBERSHIP AND COMPOSITION
The members of the AGIPH are
to be appointed following formal consultation with the regional indigenous
peoples’ groups, through the Committee on Indigenous Health (COIH). The
COIH shall finalise the nomination of the members based upon broad and
specific consultations with indigenous organisations and institutions
taking into account the diversity and geographical distribution of
indigenous peoples as well as the principles of transparency,
representativity including gender representativity and equal opportunity,
including internal processes, when appropriate, and local indigenous
consultation processes.
At least one of the
indigenous independent health experts appointed to the AGIPH shall be a
member-nominee of COIH.
The AGIPH will be a
multi-disciplinary team with at least half its members being professional
health workers.
Each member shall serve in
her or his individual/personal capacity as an independent expert on
indigenous health issues, knowledge or technology for a period of three
years with the possibility of re-nomination and re-appointment for one
further period. At the time of the initial constitution of the AGIPH,
In constituting the AGIPH and
in seeking one or more replacements at expiry of term or terms of one or
more of its members, consideration of gender equitability should be made
to the utmost extent possible, without compromising the technical
competency of the Group.
As recommended by the
“International Consultation on the Health of Indigenous Peoples”, the 13
members of the AGIPH shall be drawn from the regions of the world as
follows:
Americas |
Africa
|
Asia |
Russia
|
Circum-Polar & Europe |
Pacific
|
Australia & New Zealand |
North |
Central
|
South
|
East
|
Southern
|
Sahel
|
South |
South-East |
Far-East |
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1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
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CRITERIA FOR MEMBERSHIP
The present understanding,
international standards and approaches to indigenous peoples’ health
development are characterised by recognition of indigenous peoples’ right
to a full, free and informed participation and highest opportunities for
input and leadership by indigenous peoples themselves. This is the
approach adopted by WHO. The members of the AGIPH will, therefore, require
both technical skills and additional competencies in cross-cutting issues
that would enable them to fulfil the crucial role of bridging the gaps
between WHO’s existing and developing programmes and institutional
capacities and indigenous peoples’ perceptions, institutions, systems of
health and organisations. For these reasons:
·
All members of the AGIPH
should have a strong understanding of specific indigenous health skills
and practices as well as experience to allopathic medicine and public
health.
·
Members of the AGIPH should
also bring an accessibility of indigenous community resources for existing
and developing programmes concerning the health of indigenous peoples.
·
While it is clear that there
would be similarities and differences in all the aspects of indigenous
health issues across the regions, the key role of the AGIPH as an equal
counterpart and expert resource to WHO’s designated department concerning
indigenous health should be kept paramount.
Criteria for membership in
the AGIPH are:
1.
Recognised technical
expertise in indigenous peoples’ health development at the local, regional
and global levels
2.
Professional knowledge of the
health sector, health policy, and the implementation of health programmes
3.
Expertise or fluency in
indigenous peoples’ development issues, including cross-cutting issues
4.
Long term experience in
working with indigenous communities
5.
Acceptability to both
indigenous peoples and WHO
Relationship to Committee on
Indigenous Health (COIH), specialised bodies, agencies and programmes of
the United Nations
The AGIPH will maintain a tangible link with COIH through its
member-nominee, and through this link, its activities will be informed by
developments in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
This will ensure continuity and integration of its activities with all
recent developments relating to indigenous peoples and health within the
United Nations ands its specialised programmes and agencies.
COMMITMENT
Financing of the AGIPH shall
be provided from within the existing resources through the regular budget
of WHO and its partners, and through such voluntary contributions as may
be donated. It is expected that the above responsibilities require a
commitment of seven to eight working days every year to prepare and attend
the meetings, and an additional 4-5 days for ongoing communications,
advising and networking.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
The AGIPH, after its first
meeting at WHO Head Quarters, should meet as far as possible at the
regional level, in order to pro-actively promote and catalyse meaningful
evidence-based activities at the regional and country levels. In view of
the group’s constitution as a body of individual experts, avail the
technical expertise of the whole group and promote international
understanding on indigenous health issues, meetings at the regional levels
should be held for the AGIPH as a single expert body.
TIMEFRAME
The AGIPH should be
constituted latest by mid-2001. The first meeting is proposed for the
third quarter of 2001 in WHO Head Quarters and will be for five working
days. Additional support would be required for the Co-ordinator Executive
and secretariat to prepare and finalise the report and other output
documents as appropriate.
The COIH in consultation with
HSD/Focal Point shall finalise the nomination of the members based upon
broad and specific consultations with indigenous organisations and
institutions before the first half of 2001.
It is envisaged that COIH
would require adequate and appropriate supports to fulfil its important
role in identifying and nominating the individual members of the AGIPH. It
is expected that HSD would need to have, but not limited to, a continuing
consultative process with COIH by electronic communications methods during
the period till the constitution of the group. This process may culminate
in a meeting of representatives of COIH and HSD to finalise nominations
for the group and a plan for the first meeting of the AGIPH.
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