130 likes | 248 Views
Building a Microbicides Movement. Partnerships in advocacy and science. Global Campaign for Microbicides. “If scientists can put a man on the moon, why can’t they make something women can use to protect ourselves from AIDS?. Ugandan participant in violence workshop, 1992. Why Not?.
E N D
Building a Microbicides Movement Partnerships in advocacy and science. Global Campaign for Microbicides
“If scientists can put a man on the moon, why can’t they make something women can use to protect ourselves from AIDS? Ugandan participant in violence workshop, 1992
Why Not? • Women advocates investigate the possibility with scientists • Few scientists working on microbicides, very little support or funding • Collaboration between women’s health advocate and scientist to write “The Case for Microbicides” (1993)
A growing movement • Recognition that advocacy from a women’s health and reproductive rights framework was needed, along with the scientific research. • Ongoing informal collaboration between women’s health advocates, microbicides scientists and government agencies in US. • WHAM formed, 1995. • International consultation on practical and ethical dilemmas in clinical trials, 1997. • Global Campaign for Microbicides launched in 1998.
What is the Global Campaign? • Small team, “secretariat” based in US and international steering committee to provide guidance and strategy • Partnership with co-sponsoring organizations that endorsed the goals of the Campaign, all working in their own domain.
Goals of the Global Campaign • Raise awareness and mobilize political support for increased funding for microbicide research, female condom and cervical barrier methods; • Create a supportive policy environment for the timely development, introduction and use of new prevention technologies; and • Ensure that as science proceeds, the public interest is protected and the rights and interests of trial participants, users, and communities are fully represented and respected.
Awareness-raising and Resource Mobilization • Strategies differ between global North and South • North- increase public investment in research and development • South- demonstrate demand and confront myths that act as barriers
Supportive policy environment • Anticipating and answering policy questions • Building knowledge, capacity of policy-makers • Building networks to tackle policy issues • Providing evidence of impact of new prevention technologies • Support research that addresses policy questions
Protecting public interest • Global Campaign’s “constituency” is the eventual users of microbicides • GCM advocates WITHIN the microbicides field on issues that affect our constituency • Ethics consultations • Community involvement in research • Trade-offs between speed, certainty, and expense
Global Campaign Today • Over 200 endorsing organizations, 20+ partner organizations. • Work with Alliance, IFH, IPM, research networks etc. • Active/growing “sites” in 10 US cities and Canada, UK/Ireland, India, Uganda, South Africa, Thailand, Ghana. • Within broad agenda of Global Campaign, sites create their own agendas relevant to their needs, interests, and constituency.
The M2004 pre-conference • Preparation for advocates to participate in the scientific discussions • Updates to help inform advocacy • Opportunity for advocates and scientists to meet and share strategies
Acknowledgements • Scholarship committee for arranging travel to allow for participation in the workshop • Imperial Medical College for the space • Lorna Calquhon for support and assistance with arrangements • Imogen Fua and Bindiya Patel for preparation, communication, and materials
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is now.