e-zine nEUws, 37th edition

Service Procurement Notice: "Strengthening Sexual and Reproductive Health In-Service Training Capacity Reproductive Health Programme, Turkey"

EuropeAid issues a Service Procurement Notice for Turkey. The objective of the contract is to improve Ministry of Health (MoH) in-service Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) training capacity nationally both in training skills and SRH programme areas (Safe Motherhood, Family Planning, STI/HIV/AIDS and Adolescent health). The assignment will involve a number of phases: 1) pilot test in-service training methodology and materials and revise both as necessary, 2) conduct a series of Training of Trainers (ToT) courses covering training skills and SRH clinical skills and train a smaller group of selected trained trainers in advanced ToT skills and monitoring and evaluation skills, 3) monitoring and evaluation of the results at regional training centres and 4) dissemination of outcomes.

The maximum budget is EUR 1,650,000. Participation is open on equal terms to all natural and legal persons of the Member States of the European Union (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom) and the beneficiary countries or territories of the MEDA programme: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Gaza and the West Bank.

Deadline for receipt of applications is 18:00 (Turkey Time) on 19th July 2004

Any application received after this deadline will not be considered.

Applications must be submitted using the standard application form (available from the following Internet address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/index_en.htm), whose format and instructions must be strictly observed.

For further information contact:

Representation of the European Commission to Turkey
Programme of Reproductive Health in Turkey, Section D
U_ur Mumcu Caddesi 88/4
Gaziosmanpa_a 06700, Ankara, Turkey

Or go to:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/cgi/frame12.pl

Conservative Parties win European Parliamentary Election

 
The first election for the European Parliament in the newly enlarged EU took place from June 10th to 13th. With only 45,5% of European voters making their way to the polling stations, participation has reached an all-time low. At the first ever election to the European Parliament in 1979, the turnout was 63%.

The fraction of the European People's Party (EPP-ED) managed to win 276 out of a total of 732 seats, whereas the social democrats (PSE) obtained 200 seats. It is too soon to judge the impact of the result on sexual and reproductive health and rights issues. It is almost certain, however, that the next president of the European Commission will be a conservative. We will keep our eyes open and monitor closely the evolutions taking place over the next couple of weeks.

Source: European Parliament

EU Ministers Support to a Strong Commissioner for Development

EU development ministers met in Dublin on June 1st in an informal meeting organised by the Irish Presidency. Issues of global development were at the centre of minister's talks with a particular emphasise on the financial and institutional space for development co-operation in Europe. With regard to the negotiations on EU's financial perspectives for the years 2007 to 2013, ministers discussed the relation between security and development. They agreed, "The EU needs to ensure that the two policy areas are complementary, and that development cooperation and security do not have to compete for the same limited funds." The links between development and other external policies were also central to ministers' talks on the future architecture of the Commission. They stressed the "importance of a strong voice for development within the European Commission."

In a preparatory meeting organised on 31st May by the Irish NGDO platform Dochas, the Dutch Minister for Development Co-operation stated that the post of Commissioner for development "should include Humanitarian Aid plus ECHO, development relations with the ACP and ALA countries, and relations with international organisations." Minister Van Ardenne continued by reaffirming that "From the Benelux point of view, it is important that the new Commission will have a fully-fledged Development Commissioner, including full responsibility for the development portfolio and its budget to both the Council and Parliament. This will ensure that development policy is not subordinate to external policy." These comments were echoed by the Belgian Minister for development cooperation Marc Verwilghen who emphasised the need for "the nomination of a single Commissioner in charge of development for all developing countries but also responsible for both development policy and project implementation".

Discussions on the structure of the Commission are presently taking place internally within the executive body, but the final decision will remain with the next Commission president set to be nominated at the European Council meeting on 17/18 June.

Source: European Commission

Tackling AIDS in a united Europe

Today, Eastern Europe and Central Asia faces the most dramatic increase in cases of HIV infection in the history of the epidemic.

While global attention has so far, quite rightly, been focused on the crisis in Africa, it is time for Europe to sit up and take notice of the problem on its doorstep. Enlargement EU's Editor Kellie Peakman spoke with UNAIDS' Regional Coordinator for Europe Henning Mikkelsen about the importance of facing up to the very real facts about HIV and AIDS infection in Europe and discovers how, by working together, countries of the enlarged EU can fight the disease and minimise the effects on its people.

For the full article, go to: http://www.gdsinternational.com/infocentre/artsum.asp?mag=157&iss=77&art=22274&lang=en

Source: GDS International

European Commission organises meeting with Dr. Feachem, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

On June 11th, the European Commission organised an informal meeting with the Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, R. Feachem. Various representatives from the Brussels-based SRHR NGO community and from developing countries' permanent representations were invited.

The meeting was chaired by Dr. Lieve Fransen, Head of the EC's Social & Human Development Unit, who spoke about the involvement of the European Commission in the Global Fund. The European Commission uses its membership on the board of the Fund to ensure that the Fund focuses on the poorest countries and a proper balance between the three diseases (HIV-AIDS, TB and malaria) is assured.

Dr. Feachem talked about the history and current operations of the Global Fund. He stressed that the current distribution percentiles (60% is allocated to HIV/AIDS) are a result of successful proposals being submitted. The Fund has no policy on that, however, and there is no preference for one particular approach to these pandemics or for a certain region. The outcome is a purely demand-driven process. He also put an emphasis on the need for more good proposals coming from developing countries and encouraged the government representatives to get more engaged in these issues.

Development Commissioner Poul Nielson discusses the HIV/AIDS Pandemic

Poul Nielson, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, addressed an EPC Breakfast Policy Briefing on 3 June 2004, speaking on the important role all stakeholders can play - including foundations and civil society - in the fight against the HIV-AIDS pandemic. The briefing was organised in cooperation with The Nuffield Trust and in partnership with the King Baudouin Foundation (…).

Summary

In a frank presentation, Commissioner Nielson said the fight against HIV-AIDS must be addressed on several fronts and by several players, including governments, the private sector and civil society. As important as it is to make medicines more affordable and increase spending on research, the efforts should be focused above all else on prevention and seeking to remove the stigma associated with the disease promulgated in the developed world.

Event Report

The HIV-AIDS crisis posed enormous challenges for the developing world, Commissioner Nielson said. “It is out of control in certain parts of the world,” affecting more than 40 million people worldwide and killing more than 24 million (including 5 million children), the vast majority in developing countries. On the other hand, the pandemic did not pose a huge threat to the rich North.

Three-pronged approach

What policymakers were seeking to do was combine the battle against HIV-AIDS with the battle against malaria and tuberculosis, the three main killers in developing countries. To put things into perspective, the Commissioner pointed out that more people die from malaria in Africa than from HIV-AIDS. The European Commission's programme for communicable diseases in 2001-2006 assigned a budget line of €35 million to fighting HIV-AIDS. But “this is only part of the funding relevant for the whole action.” The strategy was based on giving priority to a country-led process on the clear inter-relationship between health and poverty.

(…)

Civil society

Helping developing countries establish HIV counselling and voluntary testing was one area where civil society could make a great contribution. One of the aims in setting up the Global Fund was to establish public-private partnerships. But although private foundations were represented on the board of the Fund, the Gates Foundation was the only one to have made a significant contribution ($100 million, of 2% of the total). When one looked at actual payments, less than 1% came from private sources. The Commissioner also noted the lack of European foundations participating, noting that the only European foundation on the board was the Soros Foundation – which was as much American as European.

Greater role for foundations

"Foundations such as the King Baudouin Foundation, the Bernard van Leer Foundation, the Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevoelkerung and the Princess Diana Memorial Fund have all played an important role in terms of global awareness raising activities and funding of HIV/AIDS programmes.", the Commissioner said. "The European Commission is cooperating with these foundations in the area of policy dialogue."

"Foundations can be powerful in terms of policy dialogue, fiscability and independence. They are definitely adding value to the development efforts made by public donors. (….) Foundations have the potential to work in a more flexible way then public donors, for instance by funding new and innovative approaches. While we as a public entity are bound by complicated budgetary allocation procedures, foundations can rapidly take decisions and jump-start important new initiatives. This was for instance the case with IAVI initially funded with money from private foundations. (…)

"It is good to have a diversity of players."

Prevention – the only cure

As for the situation on the ground in developing countries, the Commissioner said lack of education, economic insecurity, social exclusion and lack of female empowerment were all part of the same basic problem of poverty that must be solved. Addressing basic human rights and gender equality were essential to preventing the spread of HIV-AIDS and other diseases. Added to this was the lack of knowledge and stigma associated with HIV-AIDS in the developing world, resulting in a situation where only a small proportion of youths used condoms. "The pandemic is gripped by fear and silence," the Commissioner said. He emphasized that prevention was the only means by which the fight against the disease can be won: "Prevention is the only cure … and the only method by which we can eradicate HIV-AIDS."

Uganda

The Commissioner cited Uganda as an example of a country that had taken a successful, pro-active approach. So far, Uganda had managed to reduce the incidence of HIV-AIDS from 19% to 6%. During the discussion that followed, one participant noted that the Uganda programme was based on abstinence, behavioural change and condoms, and said this was the right approach. The Commissioner warned against this thinking however, saying that not to put prevention as the first priority was wrong. He cautioned against overemphasising aspects, such as abstinence, and viewing condoms only as a last resort.

Tell the truth

It was vital to tell the truth about how people can contract HIV-AIDS and how they can avoid it. The stigma associated with the disease and the bigotry in the north prevented a lot of people from telling the truth and giving correct advice. Just to reduce the price of medicine without educational efforts was not enough. "I think this is wrong and we have to accept a realistic strategy even if might take a longer time." Any economic calculation of the value of anti-HIV-AIDS programmes must be a perpetual calculation. We were not talking about a cure, but gradually reducing the problem by prevention. "The balance here is crucial." Central to this battle is frank, public education that respecting the other sex was a must.

Peer pressure

Although countries such as Uganda were doing admirable jobs in reducing the incidence of HIV-AIDS, they cannot do it alone. More peer pressure from neighbouring countries was "absolutely essential." Just as essential was a complementary approach between the Commission, donors and other players; these actors must agree on the same basic principles. If not, the effectiveness of the overall action would be lessened.

Source: European Policy Centre, www.theepc.net