Community of Practitioners on Accountability and Social Action in Health
  • HOME
  • About Us
  • Community
  • CAPACITY BUILDING
  • KNOWLEDGE GENERATION
  • RESOURCES
  • JOIN US

Prisma In Peru Named South American Lead For Global Health Accountability Network

4/28/2023

0 Comments

 
[Washington, DC, March 20, 2023] – Today, Peruvian NGO Prisma was named the new South America regional hub for the Community of Practitioners on Accountability and Social Action in Health (COPASAH), a network of advocates and social accountability practitioners in the global south advancing health rights and equity. PAI, a leader in championing sexual and reproductive health and rights globally, and COPASAH jointly awarded Prisma $50,000 to support their role and work ahead.

COPASAH supports more than 1,000 individuals and civil society organizations (CSOs) with technical assistance and resources that enable citizens—particularly women, youth and at-risk communities—to have a meaningful voice and hold their governments accountable when it comes to health policy and services.  COPASAH’s regional hubs similarly lead social accountability efforts tailored to the local context in which they work.

“Prisma is proud to collaborate with COPASAH and PAI to support South American practitioners’ efforts to propel health rights and enhance accountability within health systems,” said Marilú Chiang, Executive Director of PRISMA. “With this critical funding, PRISMA will have an even greater impact across the region.”

COPASAH was established in 2021 and consists of a Global Secretariat and West Africa hub based in Nigeria and regional hubs for Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, East Africa, Eastern and Southern Europe and South America respectively based in India, Guatemala, Macedonia, Uganda and Peru. The South America hub has a particularly strong focus on community monitoring of the health rights of Indigenous communities. With more than 36 years of experience establishing strategic partnerships with rural Indigenous community leaders, Prisma is well positioned to advance the hub’s efforts to hold governments responsible for their commitments to communities across the continent.

“I congratulate and commend Prisma for being selected to host the COPASAH South America hub. We look forward to working with them to strengthen health sector accountability and engage various practitioners, advocates, and civil society leaders—leading to bottom-up accountability processes,” said Aminu Magashi Garba, Global Co-convener at COPASAH’s Global Secretariat in Abuja, Nigeria. “Prisma brings unique expertise in coordination, networking, and using accountability tools to bring positive change in health in South America.”

PAI has supported the COPASAH network since 2020 to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes at local, regional, and national levels by developing and implementing effective, inclusive, and coordinated social accountability initiatives.

“PAI’s partnership with COPASAH and its regional hubs reflects our commitment to ensuring the global SRHR movement is led by bold, diverse local voices working to improve the health and lives of their community members,” said Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, President and CEO of PAI. “The work of COPASAH is urgent, especially in this time when citizen-driven accountability and engagement are required to achieve desired health outcomes and sustain them. Prisma’s track record as a convener, technical expert, trusted partner and advocate ensures strong regional leadership to achieve health equity and progress for all communities.”

About Prisma

Prisma is a Peruvian NGO that designs and implements innovative research studies and projects to enhance the capabilities of, and improve access to opportunities for, vulnerable people, contributing towards the attainment of a more inclusive society and sustainable development. Prisma began its work in 1986 with a multidisciplinary group of professionals intent on reversing Peru’s high rates of chronic child malnutrition and the associated risk factors. Over 30 years of experience and innovations with a comprehensive approach to development have expanded Prisma’s scope to eight areas of action and paved the way for international expansion into Latin America and Africa.

About COPASAH

COPASAH is a community where practitioners who share an interest and passion for the field of community monitoring for accountability in health interact regularly and engage in exchanging experiences and lessons; sharing resources, capacities, and methods; in the production and dissemination of conceptual, methodological and practical outputs towards strengthening the field; and in networking and capacity building among member organizations. COPASAH is organized across six regional hubs managed by the Africa Health Budget Network; Anusandhan Trust; Association for Emancipation, Solidarity and Equality of Women; Center for Health, Human Rights and Development; Centro de Estudios para Equidad y Gobernanza en Sistemas de Salud; and Prisma. This Community of practitioners was established as result of a three day ‘Practitioners Convening on Community Monitoring for Accountability in Health‘ organized by the Accountability and Monitoring in Health Initiative (AMHI) of the Open Society Institute’s Public Health Program in July 2011 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

About PAI PAI is a leading civil society advocacy organization dedicated to advancing universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across the globe. For nearly 60 years, PAI has served as a credible source of information, a strong ally to in-country partners and an unrelenting advocate for improved and expanded SRHR at the country, regional and global levels. PAI works to achieve its mission by propelling evidence-informed advocacy strategies globally and supporting in-country CSO partners across nearly 40 low- and middle-income countries to advocate for increased access to sexual and reproductive health services and expand SRHR for all. To learn more, visit pai.org.
0 Comments

Series of webinars; Stronger Collaboration, Better Health? Watch the GAP! 19 and 26 October and 2 November 2020

10/14/2020

4 Comments

 
Picture
Dear COPASAH Members, Practitioners and Associates

In September 2019, at a side event to the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage, twelve multilateral health, development and humanitarian agencies launched the Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All “to better support countries over the next ten years to accelerate progress towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals through strengthened collaboration and coordination”. One year into the GAP, in September 2020, its first progress report was published and launched in an online event hosted by the WHO, where representatives from signatory agencies and governments expressed their support to the GAP commitments.

The “Watch the GAP” task group of the Kampala Initiative, the Civil Society Advisory Group for the GAP (CSAG) and the Community of Practitioners on Accountability and Social Action in Health (COPASAH) invite civil society colleagues and others interested to a series of three webinars to discuss and reflect on the development and the first year of the implementation of the “Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All” (GAP).

In our webinar series we will focus on different elements of the GAP, together with representatives from the GAP Secretariat, civil society, and some of the signatory agencies. In times of COVID-19, when the challenges of international health cooperation are multiplied by the pandemic, can the GAP make a difference? The co-organizers want to inspire civil society to advocate for more space for civil society engagement with the GAP and to closely follow the Action Plan’s role in strengthening coordination among signatory agencies at global and country level and what this entails for national health systems and for communities and civil society.

Webinar 1: Monday 19 October 2020, 14.00-15.30 CEST
The GAP and civil society – civil society and the GAP

This webinar will focus on the history, the set-up and the objectives of the Global Action Plan as seen by the GAP agencies and civil society. We will discuss the first progress report, with a particular focus on the initial plan and current reality of how to involve, address and support civil society and communities. The panel will include Hendrik Schmitz (GAP Secretariat) and civil society organizations working at a global and national level.

Webinar 2: Monday 26th October 2020, 14.00-15.00 CEST
The GAP and Sustainable Financing for Health: Business as usual?

This webinar will take a country-focus approach, looking critically at sustainable financing, as framed in the GAP and reflecting on reports and experiences from countries where in which the sustainable financing “accelerator” (thematic focus) of the GAP was piloted.  As the agencies in the lead of these pilots are usual suspects (Global Fund, GAVI, World Bank / GFF), are the stories presented also mainly business as usual, just presented in a new way, or does the GAP make any difference, for the countries and for civil society? The panel will include Manjiri Bhawalkar (Global Fund), and civil society organizations (Wemos and COPASAH).

Webinar 3: Monday 2 November 2020, 14.00-15.00 CET
The GAP and Primary Health Care: The usual confusion?

This webinar will take a country-focus approach, looking critically at how Primary Health Care (PHC) is framed in the GAP in a technical way (as primary level care, basic packages of services) and how the political dimensions of Primary Health Care, in the sense of the Alma-Ata Declaration, are left out (addressing determinants of health and issues of global justice, community and people as owners of the health system). The webinar will reflect on reports and experiences from countries where in which the PHC “accelerator” (thematic focus) of the GAP was piloted. The panel will include representatives from signatory agencies and civil society organizations (COPASAH, MMI and PHM).

Reference document
Watch the GAP. A critical civil society perspective on the development, potential impact and implementation of the ‘Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well- being for All’ (July 2020, PDF)

Zoom registration
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PzjpaoOgQu6VRkTs-NVzwg
You only need to register once; please select which webinar(s) you would like to attend

Co-organizers
“Watch the GAP” task group of the Kampala Initiative (website)
Civil Society Advisory Group for the GAP, CSAG (website)
Community of Practitioners on Accountability and Social Action in Health, COPASAH (website)

Contacts
  • COPASAH: Aminu Magashi Garba, Africa Health Budget Network (e-mail)
  • Watch the GAP: Myria Koutsoumpa, Wemos (e-mail)
CSAG: Loyce Pace, Global Health Council (e-mail)
4 Comments

Third dialogue meeting, Tuesday 13 October 2020, 14.00-15.30 hrs CEST Social participation and accountability within and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic

10/6/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
​This civil society dialogue with the WHO leadership will focus on three interrelated challenges in the promotion of social participation and accountability as a core element of democratic governance within and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic:
  • In its interaction with Member States on promoting social participation and accountability at country level, WHO to provide political leadership beyond technical guidance
  • In its own fields of work and related institutional processes and arenas, WHO to consistently deal with civil society engagement as a matter of social participation and accountability
  • Civil society organizations, networks and platforms to get better organized in the promotion of good governance at all levels and at the same time consistently address own shortcomings in the field of participation and accountability
Input paper
Read the input paper for the meeting (word – PDF) with introductions and civil society asks for commitment and action. The paper was drafted by the co-organizers and already shared with the WHO Secretariat as main reference for the dialogue with Dr Tedros.
​
Outline of the meeting
In this third dialogue meeting on the Covid-19 response between civil society organizations and the WHO leadership, we will not repeat the evidence already collected and the stories already told by civil society representatives from various countries. We take them as an agreed starting point for deepening the dialogue, and we will focus on what is to be done.  
  • Short introductions based on input document (by civil society panellists) 
  • Followed by moderated panel discussion with CSO/WHO experts
  • Panels take up questions collected from a broader civil society audience ahead of and during the meeting (Slido poll)
Civil society co-organizers
  • Community of Practitioners on Accountability and Social Action in Health (COPASAH)
  • Geneva Global Health Hub (G2H2)
  • UHC2030 Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (CSEM)
  • UHC2030 Social Participation Technical Network (SPTN), Civil society co-chair
    together with the WHO Secretariat
Meeting websites with detailed programme and civil society panelists
  • G2H2 website of this meeting
  • CSEM website of this meeting

0 Comments
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.