The terms ‘reproductive health’ and ‘reproductive rights’ have a solid base – at least in international consensus documents – but the terms ‘sexuality’ in general and ‘sexual rights’ in particular are not well established in consensus documents.
Birte Holm Sørensen Independent Consultant
I am MD specialized in Pediatrics and Public Health with a life time experience of all aspects of development activities addressing international public health issues. I have worked for the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in different capacities and retired as a World Bank staff. I have managed many multi-donor and multi-national teams and prepared a large number of programme-related documents and reports. I continue to undertake international consultancies and am engaged nationally and internationally in policy dialogue on public health issues.
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A book that is a must-read for everybody interested in Global Health?
“Mountains beyond mountains” by Tracy Kidder.
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A Global Health related book that I am reading at the moment?
Svalens Graf – even though this is a novel it addresses the highly relevant issue of how far people will go for their own personal gain – in our daily lives it reminds us to always ask ourselves what will motivate others to make the decisions we feel they should make!
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The most important question that has not yet been answered in the field of Global Health?
How do we get across the concept that health – and access to care – is a right not a privilege!
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WEBSITES THAT EVERYBODY INTERESTED IN GLOBAL HEALTH MUST VISIT?
I find this World Bank Blog very informative: Let’s Talk Development
Recent posts by Birte
Have you ever wondered how Bangladesh fares better on girls education than India – with a much higher economic growth? – or how Asian Tigers so quickly escaped undernutrition and poor health and education in the seventies? They used the CCT concept – before it was even called a CCT! The evaluation of CCTs provides one explanation!
See the full article at www.econimist.com
Caring is easy. Making a difference is hard. This problem faced by anyone working in global health and development is felt most acutely when trying to improve the knowledge and change the behavior of the poor and underserved and provide them access to relevant social services. International aid is beset by accusations that a decent hunk of what we spend trying to address malnutrition, give kids an education, or prevent unnecessary deaths disappears in corruption and bureaucracy. Does Development Impact Bonds(DIBs) – an offspring of the Social Development Bonds (or Pay for Success Bonds’ and ‘Social Benefit Bonds’) that are being rolled out in rich countries provide a new opportunity?? See more at: http://philanthrocapitalism.net/an-impact-revolution-in-aid/
We request anyone who is familiar with examples from the ‘real world’ to post them here!
Making family planning services available to all is one of the most effective pathways to improved women’s and children’s health. Access to safe abortion to all will reduce maternal mortality by 1/3. In addition, availability of family planning and abortion would have a significant environmental benefit. Why is it then not being addressed?