Effective tobacco control policies in Nepal shaping up
Government delegation from Nepal is among those 160 countries' delegations currently meeting in Durban, South Africa, to negotiate guidelines for provisions of the global tobacco treaty (17-22 November 2008).
The negotiations centre on the implementation of Article 5.3, which protects the treaty and related public health policies from tobacco industry interference.
The global tobacco treaty, formally called the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), took effect in 2005 and now protects more than 85 percent of the world's population. But efforts to implement the treaty are being systematically stymied by tobacco transnationals, reinforcing the importance of this week's third Conference of the Parties (COP3) in Durban, South Africa.
Dr Dirgh Singh Bam, Secretary for Ministry of Health and Population, Government of Nepal, heads the Nepalese delegation at the COP3 negotiations.
"Tobacco industry is very strong" said Dr Bam, sharing his personal opinion. He further adds that "we will continue to need increasingly more amount of money to support tobacco control interventions if we don't put a check on the tobacco industry".
"There is no partnership with the tobacco industry in Nepal" said Dr Bam. The revenue which the tobacco provides the government is much less than the amount of money spent on treatment of tobacco-related diseases, says Dr Bam. This amount can be two or three times of the tobacco revenue, says Dr Bam.
"The civil society in Nepal played an active role in drafting the comprehensive tobacco control parliamentary bill which is still in the parliament" says a noted anti-tobacco activist Shanta Mulmi.
"Industry interference is the number one obstacle to the implementation and enforcement of the global tobacco treaty," said Kathy Mulvey, international policy director of Corporate Accountability International. "Article 5.3 is the lynchpin of the treaty, determining whether or not countries will be able to reverse this preventable epidemic without the tobacco industry standing in their way."
To prevent abuses reported in several countries, the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) activists insist that the following provisions of the draft Article 5.3 guidelines would help prevent abuses:
- Prohibiting government partnership or collaboration with the tobacco industry.
- Protecting against conflicts of interest for those involved in setting and implementing tobacco control policies.
They are calling for the draft Article 5.3 guidelines to be strengthened, in order to:
- Avoid government interaction with the tobacco industry, and set strict rules of engagement for any meetings deemed to be necessary.
- Ensure transparency in government interaction with the tobacco industry and in tobacco industry activities and operations.
- Emphasize the tobacco industry's fundamental conflict with public health.
Since negotiations on the global tobacco treaty began in 1999, the tobacco industry has used its political and economic influence in an attempt to undermine, delay and water down public health measures.
If the government representatives of the 160 countries draft strong guidelines for Article 5.3 at the ongoing COP-3 meeting in Durban, South Africa (17-22 November), it will not only go a long way in stopping all forms of tobacco industry interference at all levels but also increase the effectiveness of other tobacco control interventions around the world.
Published in
Asian Tribune, Sri Lanka/ Thailand
Pakistan Post, Karachi, Pakistan
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
News Track India, Delhi, India
Bihar Times, Patna, Bihar
Citizen News Service (CNS)
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Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
Tambakoo Kills
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Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS)
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India agrees that Tobacco industry puts "pressure" to relax health policies
India agrees that Tobacco industry puts "pressure" to relax health policies
The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare revealed before the Central Information Commission that tobacco industry is putting "pressure" to relax the tobacco control policies (source: The Hindu, 14 November 2008).
The tobacco industry interference has times and again weakened and delayed the enforcement of the public health policies - for example, the tobacco industry, Indian Hotel Association and other allied agencies had filed more than 70 court cases against tobacco control policies in Indian courts in September 2008, and due to aggressive lobbying by such agencies, the Group of Ministers (GoM) formed earlier to review the pictorial warnings on tobacco products, diluted the pictorial warnings provision and postponed the implementation of pictorial warnings on tobacco products at least six-times.
The industry interference in public health policies certainly needs urgent attention to save lives otherwise it will continue to threaten to reverse the great advancements made in forging public health policies and implementing them.
Meantime tobacco continues to kill more than a million people in India every year. Indian government delegation is among the representatives of 160 countries who are currently meeting in Durban, South Africa to negotiate guidelines for a provision (Article 5.3) in the global tobacco treaty that will determine whether millions of people get the health protections they are now guaranteed under the treaty.
The negotiations center on the implementation of Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which protects the treaty and related public health policies from tobacco industry interference.
This Article 5.3 of the global tobacco treaty, if defined broadly, recognizes the tobacco industry's fundamental conflict with public health.
It is also vital to understand that unless the tobacco industry interference in public health policies is checked, the implementation of other health interventions (smoke-free policies, pictorial warnings on tobacco products, tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship bans for example) will continue to be weakened, slowed and challenged.
"Industry interference is the number one obstacle to the implementation and enforcement of the global tobacco treaty," said Kathy Mulvey, international policy director of Corporate Accountability International. "Article 5.3 is the lynchpin of the treaty, determining whether or not countries will be able to reverse this preventable epidemic without the tobacco industry standing in their way."
To prevent abuses reported in several countries, the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) and the Corporate Accountability International (www.stopcorporateabuse.org) insist that the following provisions of the draft Article 5.3 guidelines would help prevent abuses:
- Prohibiting government partnership or collaboration with the tobacco industry.
- Protecting against conflicts of interest for those involved in setting and implementing tobacco control policies.
They are calling for the draft Article 5.3 guidelines to be strengthened, in order to:
- Avoid government interaction with the tobacco industry, and set strict rules of engagement for any meetings determined to be necessary.
- Ensure transparency around government interaction with the tobacco industry and around tobacco industry activities and operations.
- Emphasize the tobacco industry's fundamental conflict with public health.
Since negotiations on the global tobacco treaty began in 1999, the tobacco industry has used its political and economic influence in an attempt to undermine, delay and water down public health measures.
If the government representatives of the 160 countries draft strong guidelines for Article 5.3 at the ongoing COP-3 meeting in Durban, South Africa (17-22 November), it will not only go a long way in stopping all forms of tobacco industry interference at all levels but also increase the effectiveness of other tobacco control interventions around the world.
Published in
Asian Tribune, Bangkok, Thailand
Citizen News Service (CNS)
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare revealed before the Central Information Commission that tobacco industry is putting "pressure" to relax the tobacco control policies (source: The Hindu, 14 November 2008).
The tobacco industry interference has times and again weakened and delayed the enforcement of the public health policies - for example, the tobacco industry, Indian Hotel Association and other allied agencies had filed more than 70 court cases against tobacco control policies in Indian courts in September 2008, and due to aggressive lobbying by such agencies, the Group of Ministers (GoM) formed earlier to review the pictorial warnings on tobacco products, diluted the pictorial warnings provision and postponed the implementation of pictorial warnings on tobacco products at least six-times.
The industry interference in public health policies certainly needs urgent attention to save lives otherwise it will continue to threaten to reverse the great advancements made in forging public health policies and implementing them.
Meantime tobacco continues to kill more than a million people in India every year. Indian government delegation is among the representatives of 160 countries who are currently meeting in Durban, South Africa to negotiate guidelines for a provision (Article 5.3) in the global tobacco treaty that will determine whether millions of people get the health protections they are now guaranteed under the treaty.
The negotiations center on the implementation of Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which protects the treaty and related public health policies from tobacco industry interference.
This Article 5.3 of the global tobacco treaty, if defined broadly, recognizes the tobacco industry's fundamental conflict with public health.
It is also vital to understand that unless the tobacco industry interference in public health policies is checked, the implementation of other health interventions (smoke-free policies, pictorial warnings on tobacco products, tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship bans for example) will continue to be weakened, slowed and challenged.
"Industry interference is the number one obstacle to the implementation and enforcement of the global tobacco treaty," said Kathy Mulvey, international policy director of Corporate Accountability International. "Article 5.3 is the lynchpin of the treaty, determining whether or not countries will be able to reverse this preventable epidemic without the tobacco industry standing in their way."
To prevent abuses reported in several countries, the Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) and the Corporate Accountability International (www.stopcorporateabuse.org) insist that the following provisions of the draft Article 5.3 guidelines would help prevent abuses:
- Prohibiting government partnership or collaboration with the tobacco industry.
- Protecting against conflicts of interest for those involved in setting and implementing tobacco control policies.
They are calling for the draft Article 5.3 guidelines to be strengthened, in order to:
- Avoid government interaction with the tobacco industry, and set strict rules of engagement for any meetings determined to be necessary.
- Ensure transparency around government interaction with the tobacco industry and around tobacco industry activities and operations.
- Emphasize the tobacco industry's fundamental conflict with public health.
Since negotiations on the global tobacco treaty began in 1999, the tobacco industry has used its political and economic influence in an attempt to undermine, delay and water down public health measures.
If the government representatives of the 160 countries draft strong guidelines for Article 5.3 at the ongoing COP-3 meeting in Durban, South Africa (17-22 November), it will not only go a long way in stopping all forms of tobacco industry interference at all levels but also increase the effectiveness of other tobacco control interventions around the world.
Published in
Asian Tribune, Bangkok, Thailand
Citizen News Service (CNS)
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
The Seoul Times, Seoul, South Korea
Central Chronicle, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh
Special on Universal Children's Day (20 November 2008): Whither The Sanity Of Parents?
Special on Universal Children's Day (20 November 2008)
Whither The Sanity Of Parents?
By resolution 836(IX) of 14 December 1954, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day on 20 November, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. The day of 20 November, marks the day on which the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.
No child asks to be born. It is a conscious decision of both the parents to become instruments of bringing God’s greatest gift to this world. But, very often, the motive behind this serious decision is either just to keep their family tree blooming, and/or else to create crutches for themselves in their time of need/old age. Is this the right attitude with which to embark upon the crucial phase of parenthood?
So, parents start harbouring unrealistic expectations from day one of the arrival of ‘that bundle of joy’. They want their 'investment' to grow by leaps and bounds, in order to be cashed later on. The child starts getting seen and judged from an adult’s point of view.
Dramatic changes happening in India , within the last generation, have added to the concerns of parents and to the challenges faced by children and teenagers. But most of these changes are being thrust upon the children unwittingly by their parents. In almost every urban home, a toddler gets hooked to the Cartoon Network, courtesy parents / elders, who are either over busy or stereotypical. Their faces beam with unabashed pride as their child recites, parrot like, advertisement jingles of consumer products. The problem starts when, later on, the same kid throws tantrums to possess one or more of those very products. Very soon, efficiency of the child on the computer keyboard becomes an added family asset to boast about. Recently, at a social gathering, I found myself amidst young mothers, who were discussing the admissions of their ‘4year olds’ to nursery class. Each one of them was keen to select a school which offered computer education at the pre primary level. Not one of them considered playground facilities as a criterion for a good school. Later on, these very parents would lament that their kids have become television and computer addicts.
In most Indian homes (and may be elsewhere too), even an infant is lovingly handed the ubiquitous mobile phone to play with and to enjoy its various ring tones. Yes,it is hard to imagine life without this contraption, which has become as indispensable as sliced bread. But its unrestricted use is also prompting authorities to ban mobile phones in school / college premises.Mobile phones have already become one of the main causes of childhood / teenage distractions and even a health hazard. I once watched with amused concern a 10-12 year boy choosing a mobile phone for himself. The old fashioned (?) shopkeeper did not let him handle the very expensive models, saying that they were not for kids of his age. This irritated the father of the child. He ordered the shopkeeper to satisfy the whims of his son, and not bother about the price tag. This is not a stray incident. We,as parents, are trying to outdo each other in giving our young ones too much too soon.But when silly chats / messaging /amateur pornography on their mobile phones (which we ourselves so lovingly but unnecessarily provided them) eats upon their study time / moral values, we brand them as irresponsible. Chetan Bhagat, the famous author, recently remarked, (while favouring childless couples), that ‘having a child is like owning a luxury car. They cost you Rs.20,000 to 30,000 per month.’ Now, begetting a child or not could be one’s personal choice, but to equate a child with a car! Well, what else will happen if we lavish them with rich upholstery / gizmos instead of disciplined love?
India faces new problems with obesity, as a new middle class emerges, which allows its children to trade their health with new food choices, promoted by television ads and swanky malls. On the one side we have hungry / malnourished children ( UNICEF reports about 47% of children below 5years of age to be under weight), and on the other side junk food is finding its way even to hutment shops of rural India .
Experts are of the opinion that it is best to inculcate right eating habits in children from 4 months old onwards. We need to develop in them, from an early age, a taste for food items from our traditional/ regional cuisine, which are healthy and delicious at the same time. We also need to promote them aggressively so that they reach every corner of the country and replace the likes of coca cola and ‘Lays chips’ .Unless immediate and drastic steps are taken to curb the consumption of junk/fast food, we will have a large number of sick youngsters. Already Type-2 Diabetes is spreading in children and is becoming a serious global health problem. The main cause cited for this is childhood obesity ( fuelled by high cholesterol and fat rich processed food ) and a sedentary lifestyle. We need more families and schools which promote physical activities like walking, playing, riding bicycles, dancing instead of encouraging the indiscriminate use of computer/television from an early age.
There is an urgent need to break the barrier to understand the child as a person and not as a thing. Right now there seems to be chaos everywhere. In the name of free society we are picking up wrong values. Teenagers are a confused lot and do not know the difference between modernity and westernization. In trying to be cool they are becoming fools. We have failed in our task to tell them that to be called developed,one does not have to eat junk food, experiment with sex in school, and consume drugs / alcohol.
According to psychologists, teenagers always have had the same problems---how to rebel and conform at the same time. So they defy parents and copy each other and the latest fashion/food fads, fueled by a market driven society. They have conflicting expectations from parents, teachers, peers and a westernized media. They have to negotiate traditional roles with modern choices / societal pressures. But in many cases their ability to make choices is drastically curtailed. Many families require children to work rather than go to school due to economic compulsions. For others it may mean getting married off, far too soon, so that they are not a financial/social burden on the family ( in females ) or getting an extra pair of hands to work ( in males). And yet for many it may mean to tread the chosen path and become engineers/doctors despite their genuine interest in literature or other 'not so paying' fields.
We need to curb our dangerous desires to realize our unfulfilled dreams through the achievements of our children. They should not be treated as robots, performing all assigned tasks to perfection. Rather, they are to be recognized as human beings, with their own share of imperfections. We need to tell them that faltering and missteps are okay and will inspire them to set new and higher goals. They will make terrible blunders and face disappointments/ hurts in search of their dreams, just as we did. But all this is an inevitable process of growing up.
On this year's Universal Children’s Day, let us as parents, elders and teachers, resolve to not lose our common sense and sanity. Let us neither produce rats to join the race,nor grow couch and mouse potatoes, by satisfying merely the material needs of our children. Let us devote our time, energy and love to nurture emotionally balanced human beings to make this world a better place to live in.
Shobha Shukla
The author teaches Physics at India's Loreto Convent and has been writing extensively in English and Hindi media. She serves as Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS).
Published in
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Whither The Sanity Of Parents?
By resolution 836(IX) of 14 December 1954, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day on 20 November, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. The day of 20 November, marks the day on which the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.
No child asks to be born. It is a conscious decision of both the parents to become instruments of bringing God’s greatest gift to this world. But, very often, the motive behind this serious decision is either just to keep their family tree blooming, and/or else to create crutches for themselves in their time of need/old age. Is this the right attitude with which to embark upon the crucial phase of parenthood?
So, parents start harbouring unrealistic expectations from day one of the arrival of ‘that bundle of joy’. They want their 'investment' to grow by leaps and bounds, in order to be cashed later on. The child starts getting seen and judged from an adult’s point of view.
Dramatic changes happening in India , within the last generation, have added to the concerns of parents and to the challenges faced by children and teenagers. But most of these changes are being thrust upon the children unwittingly by their parents. In almost every urban home, a toddler gets hooked to the Cartoon Network, courtesy parents / elders, who are either over busy or stereotypical. Their faces beam with unabashed pride as their child recites, parrot like, advertisement jingles of consumer products. The problem starts when, later on, the same kid throws tantrums to possess one or more of those very products. Very soon, efficiency of the child on the computer keyboard becomes an added family asset to boast about. Recently, at a social gathering, I found myself amidst young mothers, who were discussing the admissions of their ‘4year olds’ to nursery class. Each one of them was keen to select a school which offered computer education at the pre primary level. Not one of them considered playground facilities as a criterion for a good school. Later on, these very parents would lament that their kids have become television and computer addicts.
In most Indian homes (and may be elsewhere too), even an infant is lovingly handed the ubiquitous mobile phone to play with and to enjoy its various ring tones. Yes,it is hard to imagine life without this contraption, which has become as indispensable as sliced bread. But its unrestricted use is also prompting authorities to ban mobile phones in school / college premises.Mobile phones have already become one of the main causes of childhood / teenage distractions and even a health hazard. I once watched with amused concern a 10-12 year boy choosing a mobile phone for himself. The old fashioned (?) shopkeeper did not let him handle the very expensive models, saying that they were not for kids of his age. This irritated the father of the child. He ordered the shopkeeper to satisfy the whims of his son, and not bother about the price tag. This is not a stray incident. We,as parents, are trying to outdo each other in giving our young ones too much too soon.But when silly chats / messaging /amateur pornography on their mobile phones (which we ourselves so lovingly but unnecessarily provided them) eats upon their study time / moral values, we brand them as irresponsible. Chetan Bhagat, the famous author, recently remarked, (while favouring childless couples), that ‘having a child is like owning a luxury car. They cost you Rs.20,000 to 30,000 per month.’ Now, begetting a child or not could be one’s personal choice, but to equate a child with a car! Well, what else will happen if we lavish them with rich upholstery / gizmos instead of disciplined love?
India faces new problems with obesity, as a new middle class emerges, which allows its children to trade their health with new food choices, promoted by television ads and swanky malls. On the one side we have hungry / malnourished children ( UNICEF reports about 47% of children below 5years of age to be under weight), and on the other side junk food is finding its way even to hutment shops of rural India .
Experts are of the opinion that it is best to inculcate right eating habits in children from 4 months old onwards. We need to develop in them, from an early age, a taste for food items from our traditional/ regional cuisine, which are healthy and delicious at the same time. We also need to promote them aggressively so that they reach every corner of the country and replace the likes of coca cola and ‘Lays chips’ .Unless immediate and drastic steps are taken to curb the consumption of junk/fast food, we will have a large number of sick youngsters. Already Type-2 Diabetes is spreading in children and is becoming a serious global health problem. The main cause cited for this is childhood obesity ( fuelled by high cholesterol and fat rich processed food ) and a sedentary lifestyle. We need more families and schools which promote physical activities like walking, playing, riding bicycles, dancing instead of encouraging the indiscriminate use of computer/television from an early age.
There is an urgent need to break the barrier to understand the child as a person and not as a thing. Right now there seems to be chaos everywhere. In the name of free society we are picking up wrong values. Teenagers are a confused lot and do not know the difference between modernity and westernization. In trying to be cool they are becoming fools. We have failed in our task to tell them that to be called developed,one does not have to eat junk food, experiment with sex in school, and consume drugs / alcohol.
According to psychologists, teenagers always have had the same problems---how to rebel and conform at the same time. So they defy parents and copy each other and the latest fashion/food fads, fueled by a market driven society. They have conflicting expectations from parents, teachers, peers and a westernized media. They have to negotiate traditional roles with modern choices / societal pressures. But in many cases their ability to make choices is drastically curtailed. Many families require children to work rather than go to school due to economic compulsions. For others it may mean getting married off, far too soon, so that they are not a financial/social burden on the family ( in females ) or getting an extra pair of hands to work ( in males). And yet for many it may mean to tread the chosen path and become engineers/doctors despite their genuine interest in literature or other 'not so paying' fields.
We need to curb our dangerous desires to realize our unfulfilled dreams through the achievements of our children. They should not be treated as robots, performing all assigned tasks to perfection. Rather, they are to be recognized as human beings, with their own share of imperfections. We need to tell them that faltering and missteps are okay and will inspire them to set new and higher goals. They will make terrible blunders and face disappointments/ hurts in search of their dreams, just as we did. But all this is an inevitable process of growing up.
On this year's Universal Children’s Day, let us as parents, elders and teachers, resolve to not lose our common sense and sanity. Let us neither produce rats to join the race,nor grow couch and mouse potatoes, by satisfying merely the material needs of our children. Let us devote our time, energy and love to nurture emotionally balanced human beings to make this world a better place to live in.
Shobha Shukla
The author teaches Physics at India's Loreto Convent and has been writing extensively in English and Hindi media. She serves as Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS).
Published in
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Zimbabwe Newsroom, Harare, Zimbabwe
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Countries meet to limit big tobacco's influence
Countries meet to limit big tobacco's influence
Industry Interference seen as #1 Obstacle to Health Treaty's Enforcement
DURBAN: Representatives of 160 ratifying countries currently meeting in Durban, South Africa will negotiate guidelines for a provision in the global tobacco treaty that will determine whether millions of people get the health protections they are now guaranteed under the treaty or not.
The negotiations center on the implementation of Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which protects the treaty and related public health policies from tobacco industry interference.
At stake at this meeting (Third conference of parties to FCTC) is how narrowly or broadly these protections are defined. If defined broadly, ratifying countries will recognize the tobacco industry's fundamental conflict with public health, and reject collaboration with tobacco giants like Philip Morris International (PMI) and British American Tobacco (BAT). If defined narrowly, the tobacco industry could continue to gain influence with governments, and demand a seat at the table when public health policies are being framed.
"Industry interference is the number one obstacle to the implementation and enforcement of the global tobacco treaty," said Kathy Mulvey, international policy director of Corporate Accountability International. "Article 5.3 is the lynchpin of the treaty, determining whether or not countries will be able to reverse this preventable epidemic without the tobacco industry standing in their way."
The global tobacco treaty, formally called FCTC,took effect in 2005 and now protects more than 85 percent of the world's population. But efforts to implement the treaty are being systematically stymied by tobacco trans-nationals, reinforcing the importance of this week's third Conference of the Parties (COP3) in Durban, South Africa.
"Until now Kenya has been on the right track on FCTC implementation. But with recent back-pedaling of Ministry of Local Governments on smoke-free public places induced by BAT and Mastermind, Kenya has made a giant leap backwards. This confirms the need for stronger guidelines on Article 5.3 " said Samuel Ochieng of Consumer Information Network (CIN) of Kenya.
Countries with similar cases of tobacco industry interference include Nigeria, where BAT is sponsoring front groups to pose as independent stakeholders opposed to advertising bans and stringent tobacco laws, and Zambia, where the tobacco industry promotes lies that tobacco-related agriculture creates jobs and boosts economic development.
In Colombia, another country which recently ratified the global tobacco treaty, PMI and BAT are lobbying hard to pre-empt a new Health Ministry resolution on smoke-free environments. PMI bought Colombia's largest tobacco corporation in 2005 shortly after a report found that seven years was the average age when people began to smoke in the country's second largest city.
In the lead-up to the resolution's taking effect, BAT launched a so-called "youth smoking prevention" campaign as activists were organizing a series of events to expose and challenge tobacco industry's interference in public health policymaking.
To prevent abuses reported in several countries, CIN and other NATT allies and the Corporate Accountability International, a non-governmental organization with observer status at the COP, insist that the following provisions of the draft Article 5.3 guidelines would help prevent abuses:
- Prohibiting government partnership or collaboration with the tobacco industry.
- Protecting against conflicts of interest for those involved in setting and implementing tobacco control policies.
They are calling for the draft Article 5.3 guidelines to be strengthened, in order to:
- Avoid government interaction with the tobacco industry, and set strict rules of engagement for any meetings deemed to be necessary.
- Ensure transparency in government interaction with the tobacco industry and in tobacco industry activities and operations.
- Emphasize the tobacco industry's fundamental conflict with public health.
Since negotiations on the global tobacco treaty began in 1999, the tobacco industry has used its political and economic influence in an attempt to undermine, delay and water down public health measures. Japan Tobacco, for example, is 50 percent owned by the Japanese government. The Japanese Ministry of Finance is heavily represented at treaty meetings, and Japan has often played an obstructionist role.
"We are optimistic that Parties will keep the interests of our children's health closer to their heart than those of tobacco trans-nationals," said Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) Spokesperson Muyunda Ililonga, also of the Zambia Consumers Association. "But we know from experience that some will act from the pocket when the circumstance demands they act from the heart."
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Psychological impact of violence on Kashmiris in India Kashif-ul-Huda
Twenty years of violence between Indian Army and Kashmiri militants has resulted in at least 20,000 deaths and 4,000 displaced, according to the government figures. But the toll is even greater in terms of psychological damage to the population. A recent study that looked at the psychological health found that a third of the study participants had contemplated suicide, a sign of extreme psychological distress.
The study published in the latest issue of peer reviewed journal "Conflict and Health" was conducted by organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)'s, Simon Fraser University of Canada, and Utrecht University of Netherlands.
Study interviewed 510 Kashmiris living in Indian Kashmir. It found over one-third of respondents have symptoms of psychological distress and women show significantly higher level of distress. Feeling of insecurity was a major reason for the higher levels of psychological distress.
Survey was conducted in 2005 and includes 270 males and 240 females. The most striking finding of the study is that one-third of those surveyed had thought about ending their life in the past 30 days of the survey. The survey found that there was a difference in the reasons of psychological distress between males and females. Males who had self-experienced i.e. if they had been arrested, tortured, or abused show higher level of distress. Kashimiri women, on the other hand displayed psychological problem by just witnessing the events.
In the scientific paper the authors explain that "for males, violation of modesty, forced displacement, and disability were all associated with a significantly increased likelihood (three times the odds) of suffering from psychological distress. For women, the witnessing of people being killed or tortured or dependency on outside assistance doubled the odds of suffering psychological distress."
The data tabulated in the paper is very shocking when you consider that 63% of the respondents have seen wounded people. 40% have witnessed people being killed, 67% have seen other being tortured and 13% have witnessed rape.
44% of the respondents experienced being abused and 11% claimed that their modesty was violated.
The level of psychological problem was found to be much higher than similar studies done elsewhere in India and even when the cutoff score was set to a conservative standard. When the cutoff score was lowered to the Indian study the psychological distress was found to be over 71%.
Though one-third reported having suicidal thoughts, it does not always result in a suicide attempt. But according to one estimate about 60,000 Kashmiris did commit suicide, last year.
Withdrawing themselves or isolating themselves was the most preferred way of coping with the psychological problem. About half of them showed aggressive behavior. Many turned to religion as a source of support and finding peace.
Even though Kashmir lacks proper mental health care facility, still, over 60% of the respondents visited the health clinic to seek help. Some visited more than once in the 30 days immediately before the study interview, and women found to be visiting health facilities more than men.
The impact of violence, threat, and alertness has adversely affected armed forces too. Elevated level of psychological problem is seen among Indian Army personnel deployed in Kashmir. Past January, Indian Army hired 400 psychiatrists to help control the high numbers of suicides in its ranks.
Government should spend more money in improving mental health care facilities for the people and the soldiers. Those fighting this battle for Kashmir should stop and see what this battle for land is doing to the people living on this land.
Kashif-ul-Huda
(The author is the Editor of news website: www.TwoCircles.net)
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Industry Interference seen as #1 Obstacle to Health Treaty's Enforcement
DURBAN: Representatives of 160 ratifying countries currently meeting in Durban, South Africa will negotiate guidelines for a provision in the global tobacco treaty that will determine whether millions of people get the health protections they are now guaranteed under the treaty or not.
The negotiations center on the implementation of Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which protects the treaty and related public health policies from tobacco industry interference.
At stake at this meeting (Third conference of parties to FCTC) is how narrowly or broadly these protections are defined. If defined broadly, ratifying countries will recognize the tobacco industry's fundamental conflict with public health, and reject collaboration with tobacco giants like Philip Morris International (PMI) and British American Tobacco (BAT). If defined narrowly, the tobacco industry could continue to gain influence with governments, and demand a seat at the table when public health policies are being framed.
"Industry interference is the number one obstacle to the implementation and enforcement of the global tobacco treaty," said Kathy Mulvey, international policy director of Corporate Accountability International. "Article 5.3 is the lynchpin of the treaty, determining whether or not countries will be able to reverse this preventable epidemic without the tobacco industry standing in their way."
The global tobacco treaty, formally called FCTC,took effect in 2005 and now protects more than 85 percent of the world's population. But efforts to implement the treaty are being systematically stymied by tobacco trans-nationals, reinforcing the importance of this week's third Conference of the Parties (COP3) in Durban, South Africa.
"Until now Kenya has been on the right track on FCTC implementation. But with recent back-pedaling of Ministry of Local Governments on smoke-free public places induced by BAT and Mastermind, Kenya has made a giant leap backwards. This confirms the need for stronger guidelines on Article 5.3 " said Samuel Ochieng of Consumer Information Network (CIN) of Kenya.
Countries with similar cases of tobacco industry interference include Nigeria, where BAT is sponsoring front groups to pose as independent stakeholders opposed to advertising bans and stringent tobacco laws, and Zambia, where the tobacco industry promotes lies that tobacco-related agriculture creates jobs and boosts economic development.
In Colombia, another country which recently ratified the global tobacco treaty, PMI and BAT are lobbying hard to pre-empt a new Health Ministry resolution on smoke-free environments. PMI bought Colombia's largest tobacco corporation in 2005 shortly after a report found that seven years was the average age when people began to smoke in the country's second largest city.
In the lead-up to the resolution's taking effect, BAT launched a so-called "youth smoking prevention" campaign as activists were organizing a series of events to expose and challenge tobacco industry's interference in public health policymaking.
To prevent abuses reported in several countries, CIN and other NATT allies and the Corporate Accountability International, a non-governmental organization with observer status at the COP, insist that the following provisions of the draft Article 5.3 guidelines would help prevent abuses:
- Prohibiting government partnership or collaboration with the tobacco industry.
- Protecting against conflicts of interest for those involved in setting and implementing tobacco control policies.
They are calling for the draft Article 5.3 guidelines to be strengthened, in order to:
- Avoid government interaction with the tobacco industry, and set strict rules of engagement for any meetings deemed to be necessary.
- Ensure transparency in government interaction with the tobacco industry and in tobacco industry activities and operations.
- Emphasize the tobacco industry's fundamental conflict with public health.
Since negotiations on the global tobacco treaty began in 1999, the tobacco industry has used its political and economic influence in an attempt to undermine, delay and water down public health measures. Japan Tobacco, for example, is 50 percent owned by the Japanese government. The Japanese Ministry of Finance is heavily represented at treaty meetings, and Japan has often played an obstructionist role.
"We are optimistic that Parties will keep the interests of our children's health closer to their heart than those of tobacco trans-nationals," said Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals (NATT) Spokesperson Muyunda Ililonga, also of the Zambia Consumers Association. "But we know from experience that some will act from the pocket when the circumstance demands they act from the heart."
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Psychological impact of violence on Kashmiris in India Kashif-ul-Huda
Twenty years of violence between Indian Army and Kashmiri militants has resulted in at least 20,000 deaths and 4,000 displaced, according to the government figures. But the toll is even greater in terms of psychological damage to the population. A recent study that looked at the psychological health found that a third of the study participants had contemplated suicide, a sign of extreme psychological distress.
The study published in the latest issue of peer reviewed journal "Conflict and Health" was conducted by organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)'s, Simon Fraser University of Canada, and Utrecht University of Netherlands.
Study interviewed 510 Kashmiris living in Indian Kashmir. It found over one-third of respondents have symptoms of psychological distress and women show significantly higher level of distress. Feeling of insecurity was a major reason for the higher levels of psychological distress.
Survey was conducted in 2005 and includes 270 males and 240 females. The most striking finding of the study is that one-third of those surveyed had thought about ending their life in the past 30 days of the survey. The survey found that there was a difference in the reasons of psychological distress between males and females. Males who had self-experienced i.e. if they had been arrested, tortured, or abused show higher level of distress. Kashimiri women, on the other hand displayed psychological problem by just witnessing the events.
In the scientific paper the authors explain that "for males, violation of modesty, forced displacement, and disability were all associated with a significantly increased likelihood (three times the odds) of suffering from psychological distress. For women, the witnessing of people being killed or tortured or dependency on outside assistance doubled the odds of suffering psychological distress."
The data tabulated in the paper is very shocking when you consider that 63% of the respondents have seen wounded people. 40% have witnessed people being killed, 67% have seen other being tortured and 13% have witnessed rape.
44% of the respondents experienced being abused and 11% claimed that their modesty was violated.
The level of psychological problem was found to be much higher than similar studies done elsewhere in India and even when the cutoff score was set to a conservative standard. When the cutoff score was lowered to the Indian study the psychological distress was found to be over 71%.
Though one-third reported having suicidal thoughts, it does not always result in a suicide attempt. But according to one estimate about 60,000 Kashmiris did commit suicide, last year.
Withdrawing themselves or isolating themselves was the most preferred way of coping with the psychological problem. About half of them showed aggressive behavior. Many turned to religion as a source of support and finding peace.
Even though Kashmir lacks proper mental health care facility, still, over 60% of the respondents visited the health clinic to seek help. Some visited more than once in the 30 days immediately before the study interview, and women found to be visiting health facilities more than men.
The impact of violence, threat, and alertness has adversely affected armed forces too. Elevated level of psychological problem is seen among Indian Army personnel deployed in Kashmir. Past January, Indian Army hired 400 psychiatrists to help control the high numbers of suicides in its ranks.
Government should spend more money in improving mental health care facilities for the people and the soldiers. Those fighting this battle for Kashmir should stop and see what this battle for land is doing to the people living on this land.
Kashif-ul-Huda
(The author is the Editor of news website: www.TwoCircles.net)
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Zambian government launches new five-year AIDS strategy
The new National HIV and AIDS Strategic Framework (NASF, 2006-2010) was presented this week to a meeting of key government, UN and donor stakeholders and a few members of civil society organizations by the Zambian Minister of Health, Angela Cifire. In a country with an HIV prevalence rate ranging from 8% in Northern Province to 22% in the capital, Lusaka, where women are about 1.4 times more likely to be HIV-infected than men, and where and estimated 7.7% of young people aged 15-24 are thought to be living with HIV, the new strategy is vital and much welcomed.
The vision of the multi-sectoral response outlined in the new framework is a nation free from the threat of HIV. It aims for a "multisectoral response, coordinated by the National AIDS Council (NAC) that is committed to controlling HIV and AIDS by integrating the epidemic into the work of every partner and the development agenda."
The NAC has identified six key areas for intervention. According to the new framework, scaled-up actions will be rapid and responsive to the needs of the local communities. Within each key theme, the document describes the strategic objective, the rationale and challenges, as well as detailed strategies for achieving the targets. The six key areas are:
* Intensifying prevention of HIV transmission;
* Expanding treatment, care and support for people living with and affected by HIV;
* Mitigating the socio-economic impact of HIV;
* Strengthening the decentralized response by mainstreaming HIV;
* Improving the capacity for monitoring by all partners;
* Integrating advocacy and coordination of the multi-sectoral response.
The NASF includes a review of progress from 2002-2005 against current targets and indicators, as well as a summary of the political, economic, socio/cultural and technological factors that underpin the epidemic and the response.
Following the presentation, Dr Deji Popoola, Chairperson of the UN Theme Group on HIV and AIDS in Zambia, also outlined the workplan of the United Nations Country Team in Zambia (2007-2010). According to Dr Popoola, all UN organizations in Zambia will work from one workplan for the coming years. The workplan outlines the overall UN support to the national AIDS response and has strategically prioritized the tasks of the NASF, as they most closely align with the respective strengths of the 13 UN organizations present in the country.
Under the same six thematic areas outlined above, the UN Country Team expect the following outcomes as a result of their combined support:
* An effective NAC that is able to achieve its mandate;
* Increased access to an effective and comprehensive package of HIV prevention services, based on approaches that address the underlying drivers of the epidemic;
* Increased access to treatment, care and support services;
* Strengthened institutional capacity to mitigate the socio-economic impact for people infected and affected by HIV.
In support of these four outcomes, 16 corresponding outputs and 2007 results and activities are also defined. This adds up, at least on paper, to a coordinated, harmonized and carefully planned UN response to HIV in Zambia.
It was then the donors' turn to present their vision and commitments in support of the NASF. A presentation by the US government representative outlined the priority areas for support. They were unfortunately unable at this time to pledge specific financial commitments until they are approved by the US administration. The areas of support mentioned were: Public-private partnership, expanding coverage of programmes to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) , more resources for antiretroviral (ARV) drug provision, greater focus on paediatric ARV formulations, increased support to orphans and other vulnerable children, support to the civil society response by assisting with organizational development, finance skills etc, and finally, direct funding to the NAC and line ministries on workplace policies. The US government also mentioned their intention to join the national 'Joint Financing Arrangement' (JFA) in 2007.
"We really appreciate increased direct support to the NAC - it will go a long way" said Sam Kapembwa of Zambia National AIDS Network (ZNAN).
On behalf of donors in the Joint Financing Arrangement (JFA), which currently includes the governments of Norway, Ireland, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, Beverly Warmington, Head of the UK Department for International Development in Zambia, also addressed the meeting. Instead of presenting a programme of work, she reinforced the principle of the JFA: To provide flexible and predictable funding to the NAC in order to enable it to undertake its fundamental role in coordinating the HIV response in Zambia ('One Coordinating Body'). She emphasized the need for more donors to join the JFA in support of NAC. In 2006 the total resources allocated to the NAC was approximately $4 million compared with the total Zambian HIV resources of $272 million for the same year. Acknowledging the US government's signal that they will join the JFA in their 2007 country plan, Dr Warmington urged others to join. A new JFA 'cycle' is due to commence this July.
Conspicuously absent from the roster of invited speakers was a representative of civil society or affected communities. There was no presentation on what civil society intends to achieve over the next five years. Rosemary Kumwenda, Assistant UN Resident Representative and HIV & Poverty Adviser, commented after the meeting "the voice of civil society is missing"
Paul Zulu, founder of Human Rights Foundation in Lusaka commented, "It is a good beginning - work has started and now we need to make sure it is implemented."
The Minister opened the floor for comments, but was met with a resounding silence all round - not one civil society representative felt able to speak up in the meeting.
While the NASF, the Joint UN Programme of Support and the donors had presented their strategic visions for the next five years, civil society's voice was missing. A key challenge will be to ensure that civil society is integrated and working alongside other key stakeholders as each has a key role to play. An essential step towards this would be to have a representative from civil society reporting as part of future HIV Partnership Forum meetings.
"Everything is in writing now. Money needs to be made available for organizations that are dealing with the drivers of the epidemic," commented Miriam Banda of the National Zambian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NZP+). "We need to make sure there is a lot of emphasis on the socio-economic impact".
Ms Banda also remarked on the absence of emphasis on tuberculosis (TB) in the presentation of the plans.
"It is a big oversight. HIV and TB co-infection needs to be treated together".
In the NASF document, TB is mentioned in one paragraph under the theme of expanding treatment, care and support. In terms of strategies and outputs, it is combined with other sexually-transmitted infections and opportunistic infections (OI). In a country where up to 70% of TB patients are co-infected with HIV, and where more than 50% of people living with HIV will develop TB in their life time, TB has clearly not been emphasized enough and was completely absent from today's meeting.
The meeting ended with asense optimism. The detailed plans are now in place, the funding is apparently on the way - now the challenge turns to implementation and to engaging and supporting civil society to also play its role.
Further information:
* National HIV and AIDS Strategic Framework 2006-2010
* National HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Monitoring & Evaluation Plan 2006-2010
* Joint United Nations Programme of Support on AIDS 2007-2010
* Joint Financing Agreement Speech, 9 March 2006
[These documents will be made available shortly on the Partners Zambia eForum and website: www.healthdev.org/partnerszambia]
Nadine Ferris France - HDN
The vision of the multi-sectoral response outlined in the new framework is a nation free from the threat of HIV. It aims for a "multisectoral response, coordinated by the National AIDS Council (NAC) that is committed to controlling HIV and AIDS by integrating the epidemic into the work of every partner and the development agenda."
The NAC has identified six key areas for intervention. According to the new framework, scaled-up actions will be rapid and responsive to the needs of the local communities. Within each key theme, the document describes the strategic objective, the rationale and challenges, as well as detailed strategies for achieving the targets. The six key areas are:
* Intensifying prevention of HIV transmission;
* Expanding treatment, care and support for people living with and affected by HIV;
* Mitigating the socio-economic impact of HIV;
* Strengthening the decentralized response by mainstreaming HIV;
* Improving the capacity for monitoring by all partners;
* Integrating advocacy and coordination of the multi-sectoral response.
The NASF includes a review of progress from 2002-2005 against current targets and indicators, as well as a summary of the political, economic, socio/cultural and technological factors that underpin the epidemic and the response.
Following the presentation, Dr Deji Popoola, Chairperson of the UN Theme Group on HIV and AIDS in Zambia, also outlined the workplan of the United Nations Country Team in Zambia (2007-2010). According to Dr Popoola, all UN organizations in Zambia will work from one workplan for the coming years. The workplan outlines the overall UN support to the national AIDS response and has strategically prioritized the tasks of the NASF, as they most closely align with the respective strengths of the 13 UN organizations present in the country.
Under the same six thematic areas outlined above, the UN Country Team expect the following outcomes as a result of their combined support:
* An effective NAC that is able to achieve its mandate;
* Increased access to an effective and comprehensive package of HIV prevention services, based on approaches that address the underlying drivers of the epidemic;
* Increased access to treatment, care and support services;
* Strengthened institutional capacity to mitigate the socio-economic impact for people infected and affected by HIV.
In support of these four outcomes, 16 corresponding outputs and 2007 results and activities are also defined. This adds up, at least on paper, to a coordinated, harmonized and carefully planned UN response to HIV in Zambia.
It was then the donors' turn to present their vision and commitments in support of the NASF. A presentation by the US government representative outlined the priority areas for support. They were unfortunately unable at this time to pledge specific financial commitments until they are approved by the US administration. The areas of support mentioned were: Public-private partnership, expanding coverage of programmes to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) , more resources for antiretroviral (ARV) drug provision, greater focus on paediatric ARV formulations, increased support to orphans and other vulnerable children, support to the civil society response by assisting with organizational development, finance skills etc, and finally, direct funding to the NAC and line ministries on workplace policies. The US government also mentioned their intention to join the national 'Joint Financing Arrangement' (JFA) in 2007.
"We really appreciate increased direct support to the NAC - it will go a long way" said Sam Kapembwa of Zambia National AIDS Network (ZNAN).
On behalf of donors in the Joint Financing Arrangement (JFA), which currently includes the governments of Norway, Ireland, Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, Beverly Warmington, Head of the UK Department for International Development in Zambia, also addressed the meeting. Instead of presenting a programme of work, she reinforced the principle of the JFA: To provide flexible and predictable funding to the NAC in order to enable it to undertake its fundamental role in coordinating the HIV response in Zambia ('One Coordinating Body'). She emphasized the need for more donors to join the JFA in support of NAC. In 2006 the total resources allocated to the NAC was approximately $4 million compared with the total Zambian HIV resources of $272 million for the same year. Acknowledging the US government's signal that they will join the JFA in their 2007 country plan, Dr Warmington urged others to join. A new JFA 'cycle' is due to commence this July.
Conspicuously absent from the roster of invited speakers was a representative of civil society or affected communities. There was no presentation on what civil society intends to achieve over the next five years. Rosemary Kumwenda, Assistant UN Resident Representative and HIV & Poverty Adviser, commented after the meeting "the voice of civil society is missing"
Paul Zulu, founder of Human Rights Foundation in Lusaka commented, "It is a good beginning - work has started and now we need to make sure it is implemented."
The Minister opened the floor for comments, but was met with a resounding silence all round - not one civil society representative felt able to speak up in the meeting.
While the NASF, the Joint UN Programme of Support and the donors had presented their strategic visions for the next five years, civil society's voice was missing. A key challenge will be to ensure that civil society is integrated and working alongside other key stakeholders as each has a key role to play. An essential step towards this would be to have a representative from civil society reporting as part of future HIV Partnership Forum meetings.
"Everything is in writing now. Money needs to be made available for organizations that are dealing with the drivers of the epidemic," commented Miriam Banda of the National Zambian Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NZP+). "We need to make sure there is a lot of emphasis on the socio-economic impact".
Ms Banda also remarked on the absence of emphasis on tuberculosis (TB) in the presentation of the plans.
"It is a big oversight. HIV and TB co-infection needs to be treated together".
In the NASF document, TB is mentioned in one paragraph under the theme of expanding treatment, care and support. In terms of strategies and outputs, it is combined with other sexually-transmitted infections and opportunistic infections (OI). In a country where up to 70% of TB patients are co-infected with HIV, and where more than 50% of people living with HIV will develop TB in their life time, TB has clearly not been emphasized enough and was completely absent from today's meeting.
The meeting ended with asense optimism. The detailed plans are now in place, the funding is apparently on the way - now the challenge turns to implementation and to engaging and supporting civil society to also play its role.
Further information:
* National HIV and AIDS Strategic Framework 2006-2010
* National HIV/AIDS/STI/TB Monitoring & Evaluation Plan 2006-2010
* Joint United Nations Programme of Support on AIDS 2007-2010
* Joint Financing Agreement Speech, 9 March 2006
[These documents will be made available shortly on the Partners Zambia eForum and website: www.healthdev.org/partnerszambia]
Nadine Ferris France - HDN
World Diabetes Day (14 November): Caring for children and adolescents with diabetes
World Diabetes Day (14 November): Caring for children and adolescents with diabetes
The theme of this year's World Diabetes Day (14 November) is diabetes in children and adolescents. The global awareness campaign aims to bring the spot light on diabetes and highlight the message that no child should die of diabetes. It also aims to increase awareness in parents, caregivers, teachers, health care professionals, politicians and the common public regarding diabetes.
World Diabetes Day (www.worlddiabetesday.org) is observed every year on November 14, because this day marks the birthday of Frederick Banting, who was credited with discovering insulin some 87 years ago. This day was first introduced in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), in response to the alarming rise in diabetes around the world. In 2007, the United Nations made the day an official UN world day after the passage of the United Nations World Diabetes Day Resolution in December 2006. The UN recognized that diabetes is increasing at an epidemic rate and is affecting people of all ages.
Diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions to affect children. It can strike children of any age-- even toddlers and babies. If not detected early enough in a child, diabetes can be fatal or it may result in serio
us brain damage. Yet diabetes in a child is often completely overlooked: it is often misdiagnosed as the flu or is not diagnosed at all.
In both urban and rural areas, diabetes in children and adolescents often does not get diagnosed in time. The reasons for this are manifold-- lack of education / awareness of the symptoms of this condition, lack of proper care, girl child stigma and poverty.
"Early diagnosis of diabetes in children is very poor in rural areas and some of them die because of it, in the absence of timely diagnosis and /or treatment, which is pretty shameful for us. Therefore the government should strengthen its rural healthcare services for early diagnosis and proper treatment /care of diabetes in children and adolescents" said Professor Dr CS Yajnik, Director, Diabetes Unit, King Edward Memorial Hospital , Pune , India .
Every parent, school teacher, school nurse, doctor and others involved in the care of children should be familiar with the warning signs or symptoms of diabetes which could be any one or more of the following:-- frequent urination, excessive thirst, increased hunger, weight loss, tiredness, lack of concentration, blurred vision, vomiting and stomach pain. In children with Type-2 diabetes these symptoms may be mild or absent.
Type-1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease that cannot be prevented. Globally, it is the most common form of diabetes in children, affecting around 500,000 children under 15 years of age. Finland , Sweden and Norway have the highest incidence rates for Type-1 diabetes in children. However, as a result of increasing childhood obesity and sedentary lifestyles, Type-2 diabetes is also increasing at a very fast pace in children and adolescents. In some countries, like Japan , Type- 2 diabetes has become more common in children than Type-1.
Every day more than 200 children are diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes, requiring them to take multiple daily insulin shots and monitor the glucose levels in their blood. This type of diabetes is increasing yearly at the rate of 3% amongst children and is rising even faster in pre-school children at the rate of 5% per year. Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), a build-up of excess acids in the body as a result of uncontrolled diabetes, is a major cause of death in children with Type-1 diabetes. DKA can be prevented with early diagnosis and proper medical care.
Life for children living with Type-1 diabetes, in the developing world, is bleak indeed. About 75,000 children in the low-income and lower-middle income countries are living with diabetes in desperate circumstances. These children need life-saving insulin to survive. Many are in need of monitoring equipment, test strips and proper guidance to manage their condition in order to avoid the life-threatening complications associated with diabetes. A child's access to appropriate medication and care should be a right and not a privilege.
"A comprehensive approach that addresses diabetes risk factors is needed. Researchers have found that societal influences on teenage boys and girls can affect their diabetes, and that in most cases girls suffer more from these influences," said Dr Sonia Kakkar, a Delhi based diabetes specialist.
Type- 2 diabetes affects children in both developed and developing countries and is becoming a global public health issue with potentially serious outcomes.
It has been reported in children as young as eight years and now exists even in those who were previously thought not to be at risk. In native and aboriginal communities in the United States , Canada and Australia at least 1 in every 100 youth has diabetes. In some communities, this ratio is 1 in every 25. Global studies have shown that Type- 2 diabetes can be prevented by enabling individuals to lose 7-10% of their body weight, and by increasing their physical activity to a modest level.
"The stark reality is that many children in developing countries die soon after diagnosis," said Dr Jean-Claude Mbanya, President-Elect of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), in a press release issued by IDF. Dr Mbanya further said, "It has been 87 years since the discovery of insulin, yet many of the world's most vulnerable citizens, including many children, die needlessly because of lack of access to this essential drug. This is a global shame. We owe it to future generations to address this issue now."
According to the International Diabetes Federation, "In many developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of Asia , life-saving diabetes medication and monitoring equipment is often unavailable or unaffordable. As a result, many children with diabetes die soon after diagnosis, or have a quality of life, and they develop the devastating complications of the disease early."
In order to support some of these children, the IDF created its Life for a Child Program in 2001. The program, which is operated in partnership with Diabetes Australia-NSW and HOPE worldwide, currently supports a total of 1000 children in Azerbaijan, Bolivia, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Fiji, India, Mali, Nepal, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Sudan, The United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.
Although significant activities have been initiated in the past few years to improve health responses to diabetes, efforts are still inadequate, weak and fragmented. Progress is impeded by a public health system that places a higher priority on communicable diseases and maternal and child health services and by a private health system driven by curative medicine. However, a comprehensive health response to diabetes that addresses prevention, treatment, care and support needs for people with diabetes, needs more advocacy and partnership with different agencies that can bring in the desired changes in the life of every person living with diabetes.
IDF asks everyone around the world to help bring diabetes to light and to affect change to improve care for people living with diabetes. Find out more at www.worlddiabetesday.org
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The theme of this year's World Diabetes Day (14 November) is diabetes in children and adolescents. The global awareness campaign aims to bring the spot light on diabetes and highlight the message that no child should die of diabetes. It also aims to increase awareness in parents, caregivers, teachers, health care professionals, politicians and the common public regarding diabetes.
World Diabetes Day (www.worlddiabetesday.org) is observed every year on November 14, because this day marks the birthday of Frederick Banting, who was credited with discovering insulin some 87 years ago. This day was first introduced in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), in response to the alarming rise in diabetes around the world. In 2007, the United Nations made the day an official UN world day after the passage of the United Nations World Diabetes Day Resolution in December 2006. The UN recognized that diabetes is increasing at an epidemic rate and is affecting people of all ages.
Diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions to affect children. It can strike children of any age-- even toddlers and babies. If not detected early enough in a child, diabetes can be fatal or it may result in serio
us brain damage. Yet diabetes in a child is often completely overlooked: it is often misdiagnosed as the flu or is not diagnosed at all.
In both urban and rural areas, diabetes in children and adolescents often does not get diagnosed in time. The reasons for this are manifold-- lack of education / awareness of the symptoms of this condition, lack of proper care, girl child stigma and poverty.
"Early diagnosis of diabetes in children is very poor in rural areas and some of them die because of it, in the absence of timely diagnosis and /or treatment, which is pretty shameful for us. Therefore the government should strengthen its rural healthcare services for early diagnosis and proper treatment /care of diabetes in children and adolescents" said Professor Dr CS Yajnik, Director, Diabetes Unit, King Edward Memorial Hospital , Pune , India .
Every parent, school teacher, school nurse, doctor and others involved in the care of children should be familiar with the warning signs or symptoms of diabetes which could be any one or more of the following:-- frequent urination, excessive thirst, increased hunger, weight loss, tiredness, lack of concentration, blurred vision, vomiting and stomach pain. In children with Type-2 diabetes these symptoms may be mild or absent.
Type-1 diabetes is an auto-immune disease that cannot be prevented. Globally, it is the most common form of diabetes in children, affecting around 500,000 children under 15 years of age. Finland , Sweden and Norway have the highest incidence rates for Type-1 diabetes in children. However, as a result of increasing childhood obesity and sedentary lifestyles, Type-2 diabetes is also increasing at a very fast pace in children and adolescents. In some countries, like Japan , Type- 2 diabetes has become more common in children than Type-1.
Every day more than 200 children are diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes, requiring them to take multiple daily insulin shots and monitor the glucose levels in their blood. This type of diabetes is increasing yearly at the rate of 3% amongst children and is rising even faster in pre-school children at the rate of 5% per year. Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), a build-up of excess acids in the body as a result of uncontrolled diabetes, is a major cause of death in children with Type-1 diabetes. DKA can be prevented with early diagnosis and proper medical care.
Life for children living with Type-1 diabetes, in the developing world, is bleak indeed. About 75,000 children in the low-income and lower-middle income countries are living with diabetes in desperate circumstances. These children need life-saving insulin to survive. Many are in need of monitoring equipment, test strips and proper guidance to manage their condition in order to avoid the life-threatening complications associated with diabetes. A child's access to appropriate medication and care should be a right and not a privilege.
"A comprehensive approach that addresses diabetes risk factors is needed. Researchers have found that societal influences on teenage boys and girls can affect their diabetes, and that in most cases girls suffer more from these influences," said Dr Sonia Kakkar, a Delhi based diabetes specialist.
Type- 2 diabetes affects children in both developed and developing countries and is becoming a global public health issue with potentially serious outcomes.
It has been reported in children as young as eight years and now exists even in those who were previously thought not to be at risk. In native and aboriginal communities in the United States , Canada and Australia at least 1 in every 100 youth has diabetes. In some communities, this ratio is 1 in every 25. Global studies have shown that Type- 2 diabetes can be prevented by enabling individuals to lose 7-10% of their body weight, and by increasing their physical activity to a modest level.
"The stark reality is that many children in developing countries die soon after diagnosis," said Dr Jean-Claude Mbanya, President-Elect of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), in a press release issued by IDF. Dr Mbanya further said, "It has been 87 years since the discovery of insulin, yet many of the world's most vulnerable citizens, including many children, die needlessly because of lack of access to this essential drug. This is a global shame. We owe it to future generations to address this issue now."
According to the International Diabetes Federation, "In many developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of Asia , life-saving diabetes medication and monitoring equipment is often unavailable or unaffordable. As a result, many children with diabetes die soon after diagnosis, or have a quality of life, and they develop the devastating complications of the disease early."
In order to support some of these children, the IDF created its Life for a Child Program in 2001. The program, which is operated in partnership with Diabetes Australia-NSW and HOPE worldwide, currently supports a total of 1000 children in Azerbaijan, Bolivia, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Fiji, India, Mali, Nepal, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Sudan, The United Republic of Tanzania, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe.
Although significant activities have been initiated in the past few years to improve health responses to diabetes, efforts are still inadequate, weak and fragmented. Progress is impeded by a public health system that places a higher priority on communicable diseases and maternal and child health services and by a private health system driven by curative medicine. However, a comprehensive health response to diabetes that addresses prevention, treatment, care and support needs for people with diabetes, needs more advocacy and partnership with different agencies that can bring in the desired changes in the life of every person living with diabetes.
IDF asks everyone around the world to help bring diabetes to light and to affect change to improve care for people living with diabetes. Find out more at www.worlddiabetesday.org
Amit Dwivedi
(The author is a Special Correspondent to Citizen News Service (CNS). Email: amit@citizen-news.org)
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Obama and Mayawati: a Comparison in Contrast
Obama and Mayawati: a Comparison in Contrast
SR Darapuri
It will be apt to mention in the beginning that a comparison between Obama and Mayawati (Dalit woman Chief Minister of UP state in India) is not very appropriate because there is a world of difference between their personalities and deeds. But some over enthusiastic followers of Mayawati have started comparing them and are spreading the dictum that "if Obama can do it why cannot she?" They have started projecting her as the future Prime Minister of India. As such it becomes necessary to make an attempt to make a comparison between Obama and Mayawati.
The first point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati is their social background. Obama is an African-American. His father was black and his mother was white. Mayawati's both parents are dalits. But it is pertinent to note that during his electioneering he nowhere used his black identity to influence his voters. Throughout his election campaign he spoke about his policies and plans whereas in the case of Mayawati she has never spoken about her policies and plans. On the other hand her dalit identity is the starting point of her politics for emotional exploitation of dalits.
The second point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati is their ability to mobilize fund for the party. Obama through small contributions raised a party fund to the tune of $650 millions but he deposited it in the party fund account and used it for electioneering. Mayawati also raised her property to the tune of Rs. 520 millions up to 2007 and further added Rs. 600 millions during 2007-08. But she did not deposit this amount in party fund account. Rather she deposited it in her personal and her family member's accounts. There are also allegations of selling MLA's and MP's tickets at election time at competitive rates. It is worth mentioning that CBI has already prepared a charge sheet against her for amassing personal property worth Rs. 300 millions beyond her known sources of income.
The third point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati concerns their policies and plans. As we know Obama fought the election on the plank of "Need of change for America" and has won it with this promise. He has promised to take America out of financial crises and reduce unemployment. As regards Mayawati she has never made any promise to solve any public problem. In fact she does not have any such plan or program to solve the public problems like poverty, unemployment, lack of health infrastructure, drinking water, housing and illiteracy etc.
The fourth point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati is their pursuit of political power. Obama has been elected as the most powerful President of the oldest democracy of the world. Mayawati has also been elected for the fourth time as the Chief Minister of the most populous state (Uttar Pardesh) of India. Obama has promised to use the political power for solving the problems facing the U.S. people whereas Mayawati has been accused of using it for self aggrandizement. Dr. Ambedkar had remarked that political power should be used for social progress. But Mayawati lacks such inclination even in the case of dalits who are her prime constituency. As a result of it the dalits of U.P. continue to be behind the dalits of all other states of India except that of Bihar and Orissa. In spite of her occupying the Chief Ministership for the fourth time U.P. continues to suffer from under industrialization and over all backwardness. As such she can be held responsible for the backwardness of U.P. as well as that of U.P.dalits to a good extent. According to one study U.P. has suffered regression during the last decade. It is noticeable that Mayawati has been in power since 1995 with some breaks in between.
The next point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati can be in respect of psychological impact of their victory on their voters. In case of Obama his victory has exhilarated Blacks, Minorities and Whites also to good extent. In case of Mayawati dalits excluding intellectual section thereof and muscleman and moneyed men of higher castes are only exhilarated because the latter are especially the main beneficiaries of her position. Dalits have only the psychological satisfaction of having a Chief Minister of their own caste. They are totally deprived of all the material gains of power on account of corrupt and inefficient administration being run by Mayawati. Minorities, mainly the Muslims are highly skeptical about Mayawati because in her pursuit of political power she can make alliance with their staunch opponent and a communal party like B.J.P. as she had done thrice in the past.
From a brief comparison between Obama and Mayawati it becomes evident that it is not very appropriate because there is a world of difference between their personalities and deeds. Rather it can be said to be a comparison in contrast. Even then if admirers of Mayawati are so anxious to make a comparison they should look for qualities like a vision, an urge for change, impeccable integrity and inclination to use political power for social progresses as exemplified in Obama. They must display mental honesty and proper courage to criticize her for her personal greed to amass wealth, lack of vision and unprincipled pursuit of power. She may also be dissuaded from wasting public money in creating memorials and installing her own statues in an effort to immortalize her. People are immortalized by their noble deeds and not by their statue. Obama is to be judged in the near future but Mayawati has already been judged.
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SR Darapuri
It will be apt to mention in the beginning that a comparison between Obama and Mayawati (Dalit woman Chief Minister of UP state in India) is not very appropriate because there is a world of difference between their personalities and deeds. But some over enthusiastic followers of Mayawati have started comparing them and are spreading the dictum that "if Obama can do it why cannot she?" They have started projecting her as the future Prime Minister of India. As such it becomes necessary to make an attempt to make a comparison between Obama and Mayawati.
The first point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati is their social background. Obama is an African-American. His father was black and his mother was white. Mayawati's both parents are dalits. But it is pertinent to note that during his electioneering he nowhere used his black identity to influence his voters. Throughout his election campaign he spoke about his policies and plans whereas in the case of Mayawati she has never spoken about her policies and plans. On the other hand her dalit identity is the starting point of her politics for emotional exploitation of dalits.
The second point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati is their ability to mobilize fund for the party. Obama through small contributions raised a party fund to the tune of $650 millions but he deposited it in the party fund account and used it for electioneering. Mayawati also raised her property to the tune of Rs. 520 millions up to 2007 and further added Rs. 600 millions during 2007-08. But she did not deposit this amount in party fund account. Rather she deposited it in her personal and her family member's accounts. There are also allegations of selling MLA's and MP's tickets at election time at competitive rates. It is worth mentioning that CBI has already prepared a charge sheet against her for amassing personal property worth Rs. 300 millions beyond her known sources of income.
The third point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati concerns their policies and plans. As we know Obama fought the election on the plank of "Need of change for America" and has won it with this promise. He has promised to take America out of financial crises and reduce unemployment. As regards Mayawati she has never made any promise to solve any public problem. In fact she does not have any such plan or program to solve the public problems like poverty, unemployment, lack of health infrastructure, drinking water, housing and illiteracy etc.
The fourth point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati is their pursuit of political power. Obama has been elected as the most powerful President of the oldest democracy of the world. Mayawati has also been elected for the fourth time as the Chief Minister of the most populous state (Uttar Pardesh) of India. Obama has promised to use the political power for solving the problems facing the U.S. people whereas Mayawati has been accused of using it for self aggrandizement. Dr. Ambedkar had remarked that political power should be used for social progress. But Mayawati lacks such inclination even in the case of dalits who are her prime constituency. As a result of it the dalits of U.P. continue to be behind the dalits of all other states of India except that of Bihar and Orissa. In spite of her occupying the Chief Ministership for the fourth time U.P. continues to suffer from under industrialization and over all backwardness. As such she can be held responsible for the backwardness of U.P. as well as that of U.P.dalits to a good extent. According to one study U.P. has suffered regression during the last decade. It is noticeable that Mayawati has been in power since 1995 with some breaks in between.
The next point of comparison between Obama and Mayawati can be in respect of psychological impact of their victory on their voters. In case of Obama his victory has exhilarated Blacks, Minorities and Whites also to good extent. In case of Mayawati dalits excluding intellectual section thereof and muscleman and moneyed men of higher castes are only exhilarated because the latter are especially the main beneficiaries of her position. Dalits have only the psychological satisfaction of having a Chief Minister of their own caste. They are totally deprived of all the material gains of power on account of corrupt and inefficient administration being run by Mayawati. Minorities, mainly the Muslims are highly skeptical about Mayawati because in her pursuit of political power she can make alliance with their staunch opponent and a communal party like B.J.P. as she had done thrice in the past.
From a brief comparison between Obama and Mayawati it becomes evident that it is not very appropriate because there is a world of difference between their personalities and deeds. Rather it can be said to be a comparison in contrast. Even then if admirers of Mayawati are so anxious to make a comparison they should look for qualities like a vision, an urge for change, impeccable integrity and inclination to use political power for social progresses as exemplified in Obama. They must display mental honesty and proper courage to criticize her for her personal greed to amass wealth, lack of vision and unprincipled pursuit of power. She may also be dissuaded from wasting public money in creating memorials and installing her own statues in an effort to immortalize her. People are immortalized by their noble deeds and not by their statue. Obama is to be judged in the near future but Mayawati has already been judged.
SR Darapuri
(The author is a retired Inspector General (IG) Police, Government of India. Email: srdarapuri@yahoo.co.in)Published in
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National partnership for TB care and control is shaping up in India
National partnership for TB care and control is shaping up in India
A national multi-stakeholder partnership for TB care and control is shaping up in India. Last week on 4 November 2008, representatives from a range of TB stakeholders participated in a day-long meeting at LRS Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases in New Delhi. The meeting was facilitated by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD, The Union)’s India Resource Center.
India ranks first in the list of 22 TB high burden countries globally with about 1/5th of the world’s TB cases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Anti Tuberculosis Drug Resistance in the World report (2008), India and China together have more than 50% of the world’s drug-resistant TB cases. India also figures high-up on the list of high-burden multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) countries in the world.
However all is not that bleak – India has certainly made major strides in TB care and control, testing more than 40 million people for TB, rolling out anti-TB treatment to more than 9 million sputum-positive patients since 1997, every month more than 100,000 patients are put on Directly-Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) treatment, with more than 85% cure rate in sputum-positive patients, under the Revised National TB control Programme (RNTCP). However it is due to poor programme performance of DOTS that drug-resistant TB has been on an alarming rise.
A national multi-stakeholder partnership for TB care and control is shaping up in India. Last week on 4 November 2008, representatives from a range of TB stakeholders participated in a day-long meeting at LRS Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases in New Delhi. The meeting was facilitated by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD, The Union)’s India Resource Center.
India ranks first in the list of 22 TB high burden countries globally with about 1/5th of the world’s TB cases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Anti Tuberculosis Drug Resistance in the World report (2008), India and China together have more than 50% of the world’s drug-resistant TB cases. India also figures high-up on the list of high-burden multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) countries in the world.
However all is not that bleak – India has certainly made major strides in TB care and control, testing more than 40 million people for TB, rolling out anti-TB treatment to more than 9 million sputum-positive patients since 1997, every month more than 100,000 patients are put on Directly-Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) treatment, with more than 85% cure rate in sputum-positive patients, under the Revised National TB control Programme (RNTCP). However it is due to poor programme performance of DOTS that drug-resistant TB has been on an alarming rise.
“Partnerships in TB care and control is not new to India” said Dr LS Chauhan, Deputy Director General (TB), Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. “Since 1995, India has forged partnerships with different sectors to improve TB programme performances” added Dr Chauhan.
“Despite of the involvement of more than 2,500 NGOs, private practitioners, 260 medical colleges and 110 corporate sector hospitals in the RNTCP, the contribution of the TB programme is not at the desired level” said Dr Chauhan, clearly articulating the need that a lot more needs to be done to improve TB programme performance in India.
“There is a need now for close coordination and clear communication while working together to face the challenge of including those who are currently outside the reach of the public health system" said Dr Chauhan. “There is not enough coordination between different TB stakeholders at the district or state level, and not regular coordination at the national level” remarked Dr Chauhan.
Dr Chauhan also said that “the RNTCP programme cannot document every best practice or challenges faced at the grassroots in TB care and control, so other people need to take leadership and come forward”. These voices of the frontline workers in TB care and control need to be well documented and ‘heard’ in order to inform the policy makers for a desired change to improve TB programme performance.
Recent reports have identified programmatic challenges impeding TB responses in India that include limited community awareness, sub-optimal community participation and sense of ownership, emerging challenges of TB-HIV co-infection and drug-resistant-TB management and limited access to quality TB care for the hard to reach, marginalized and vulnerable populations.
“8 million new TB cases diagnosed every year and two TB deaths take place every 3 minutes in India” said Professor (Dr) D Behera, Director, LRS Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, New Delhi. “Just providing anti-TB treatment is not sufficient, treatment is interrupted due to poverty, unemployment, etc” added Dr Behera.
“At USAID, partnerships are the way to do business. Partnerships enhance efficiency and effectiveness, rational division of labour, maximize synergy” said Robin Mardeusz from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Robin highlighted one of the major benefits of the partnerships in providing multi-action innovative solutions. USAID has supported the secretariat of the national partnership for TB care and control to be hosted by The Union through a World Vision grant.
Another civil society partnership on TB which exists in India since March 2007 to complement India’s RNTCP is the NGO TB Consortium which includes eight major civil society organizations contributing to TB care and control: Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA), Damien Foundation India Trust (DFIT), German Leprosy and TB Relief Association (GLRA) , LEPRA Society , PATH India , Project Concern International (PCI) India , TB Alert India and World Vision India.
One clear mandate of an effective and genuine partnership for TB care and control should be to help strengthen mechanisms for equitable access to information and meaningful participation, particularly of those undergoing anti-TB treatment, or those who have successfully completed their anti-TB treatment or those who are at increased risk of TB including people living with HIV (PLHIV). Without documenting these voices of the affected communities so that the best practices and challenges both inform the national TB programmes so as to improve the programme performances, India will fail to achieve the targets for TB prevention, treatment and care.
Another major mandate of such a partnership should be to radically scale up communications and advocacy to implement the Patients' Charter for Tuberculosis Care, so that affected communities can use the Patients' Charter to raise awareness and consciousness about the rights and responsibilities of people with TB, to strive towards achieving International Standards for Tuberculosis Care across the country.
How complementing will be the NGO TB Consortium to the National Partnership for TB Care and Control, is yet to be seen. Also how we build or help strengthen high quality and reliable platforms for information exchange, genuine dialogue and advocacy on TB/HIV issues, keeping the voices of the affected communities at the centre of such discourses, will be a daunting challenge.
May be it is time to step out of our organizational entities and join hands for better synergy to bring the affected communities in the centre of TB/HIV response and help India achieve the TB prevention, treatment and care targets it has set out for.
Published in: Northern News Lines (Chandigarh, India); Two Circles; My News (Delhi, India); News Blaze (USA); HealthDev.net; Ghana News (Accra, Ghana); Truth Feeds; Op-Ed News (OEN); Congo News; Media for Freedom (Kathmandu, Nepal); Bihar and Jharkhand News Service (BJNS); Bihar Times (Patna, Bihar); Citizen News Service (CNS); News Track India (Delhi, India); The Seoul Times (Seoul, South Korea); Howrah News Service (HNS), West Bengal
Climate change is impeding agricultural production in Uttar Pradesh
Climate change is impeding agricultural production in Uttar Pradesh
During the last one decade Uttar Pradesh has been witness to many climatic changes. Eastern Uttar Pradesh has faced severe floods, while Bundelkhand region has faced one of the worst famines of the last decade. Thus, the impact of climate change has adversely affected agricultural production resulting in huge loss of paddy and corn crops in eastern districts and regional crops in Bundelkhand. Climate-related disasters have brought widespread misery and huge economic losses to Uttar Pradesh, adversely affecting public health, food security, agriculture, water resources and biodiversity in the state.
Floods are the most common annual occurrences in Uttar Pradesh, affecting one or the other part of the state; the most affected being the districts of the eastern U.P.and terai region.
Agriculture in India is very much weather-dependent. It is ironic, then, that a significant percentage of greenhouse-gas emission-come from agriculture. Fossil-fuel intensive agriculture is contributing to the creation of the unpredictable weather conditions which all farmers will need to battle in the not so distant future.
Scientists believe that the fluctuating weather conditions in a state suggest that the state is reeling under climatic chaos. For more than a decade now, the state has been experiencing contrasting extreme weather conditions. Agriculture has been worst affected in Uttar Pradesh by these climatic changes. . A little decrease in temperatures can reduce the production of wheat crops, but help in the growth of paddy. Such changes may often tilt the farmers towards growing one crop at the expense of the other. This would lead to imbalances in crop production.
According to the 2001 census, 62.12 percent of the state’s total workers are engaged in agriculture. UP contributes on an average 21 percent to the national production of foodgrain. With an average annual food grain production of about 42.7 million tons and per capita production of 234 kg, U.P. ranks third highest among major states, and is considered to be a food grain surplus state. Yet the plight of farmers is far from satisfactory.
“Government and development organizations have tried to deal with the situation, but their initiatives have been more relief oriented than solution oriented. Local people have devised their own ways and means to deal with the situation. Their methods are inherently scientific and require no external help or support. These region specific techniques have shaped people’s lifestyles in these regions and strengthened their adaptive capacities,” said Prof. (Dr) Shiraj A Wajih, President, Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group.
According to a ‘Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group, GEAG (www.geagindia.org)’ survey “U.P.’s agriculture is characterized by very small size of land holdings; around 90 percent of the farmers in the state are small and marginal farmers. Some 73.8 percent of the total operational holdings in the state are marginal (below 1.0 ha) and another 15.5 percent holdings are small (between 1 and 2 ha). Due to the preponderance of the small holdings cropping pattern, U.P. agriculture is still largely subsistence oriented.”
He further said that, “We need to strengthen our capacities and capabilities to deal with climatic changes, civil society should be more responsible and sensitive towards nature. Government should make interdepartmental approach and farmer friendly policies. It should not jeopardize agricultural growth in favour of corporate interests. Being one of the most populous geographically diverse state of India , U.P. is more prone to climatic changes.”
In the Bundelkhand area, with its high levels of poverty, many small and marginal farmers are indebted both to moneylenders and government banks. As the weather gets hotter, the chances of paying back loans become difficult, leading to stress and in some extreme cases, suicides. The growing water scarcity poses further problems of survival to people and animals alike. Already there have been reports of cattle deaths due to water scarcity in the district. In recent years, the water level has gone down significantly.
The ill effects of climate change can also be seen on women farmers, especially poor women farmers because of their low social and economic status. They also have lesser accessibility to livelihood resources and land holdings.
There is a serious danger of climatic changes (in the form of severe droughts, floods, intense rainfall, and storms) undermining development programmes and millennium development goals aimed at reducing poverty.
Currently India is spending 2.5% of its total GDP on measures to control the adverse impact of climatic change, which is a big amount for any developing nation. sThe zeal of rapid industrialization, deforestation and wilful consumption of natural resources is likely to make the situation worse. Policy makers at the state, regional and national level should take a serious view of the economic, agricultural, health-related and environmental impacts of climate changes.
(The author is a Special Correspondent to Citizen News Service (CNS). Email: amit@citizen-news.org, website: www.Citizen-News.org)
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During the last one decade Uttar Pradesh has been witness to many climatic changes. Eastern Uttar Pradesh has faced severe floods, while Bundelkhand region has faced one of the worst famines of the last decade. Thus, the impact of climate change has adversely affected agricultural production resulting in huge loss of paddy and corn crops in eastern districts and regional crops in Bundelkhand. Climate-related disasters have brought widespread misery and huge economic losses to Uttar Pradesh, adversely affecting public health, food security, agriculture, water resources and biodiversity in the state.
Floods are the most common annual occurrences in Uttar Pradesh, affecting one or the other part of the state; the most affected being the districts of the eastern U.P.and terai region.
Agriculture in India is very much weather-dependent. It is ironic, then, that a significant percentage of greenhouse-gas emission-come from agriculture. Fossil-fuel intensive agriculture is contributing to the creation of the unpredictable weather conditions which all farmers will need to battle in the not so distant future.
Scientists believe that the fluctuating weather conditions in a state suggest that the state is reeling under climatic chaos. For more than a decade now, the state has been experiencing contrasting extreme weather conditions. Agriculture has been worst affected in Uttar Pradesh by these climatic changes. . A little decrease in temperatures can reduce the production of wheat crops, but help in the growth of paddy. Such changes may often tilt the farmers towards growing one crop at the expense of the other. This would lead to imbalances in crop production.
According to the 2001 census, 62.12 percent of the state’s total workers are engaged in agriculture. UP contributes on an average 21 percent to the national production of foodgrain. With an average annual food grain production of about 42.7 million tons and per capita production of 234 kg, U.P. ranks third highest among major states, and is considered to be a food grain surplus state. Yet the plight of farmers is far from satisfactory.
“Government and development organizations have tried to deal with the situation, but their initiatives have been more relief oriented than solution oriented. Local people have devised their own ways and means to deal with the situation. Their methods are inherently scientific and require no external help or support. These region specific techniques have shaped people’s lifestyles in these regions and strengthened their adaptive capacities,” said Prof. (Dr) Shiraj A Wajih, President, Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group.
According to a ‘Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group, GEAG (www.geagindia.org)’ survey “U.P.’s agriculture is characterized by very small size of land holdings; around 90 percent of the farmers in the state are small and marginal farmers. Some 73.8 percent of the total operational holdings in the state are marginal (below 1.0 ha) and another 15.5 percent holdings are small (between 1 and 2 ha). Due to the preponderance of the small holdings cropping pattern, U.P. agriculture is still largely subsistence oriented.”
He further said that, “We need to strengthen our capacities and capabilities to deal with climatic changes, civil society should be more responsible and sensitive towards nature. Government should make interdepartmental approach and farmer friendly policies. It should not jeopardize agricultural growth in favour of corporate interests. Being one of the most populous geographically diverse state of India , U.P. is more prone to climatic changes.”
In the Bundelkhand area, with its high levels of poverty, many small and marginal farmers are indebted both to moneylenders and government banks. As the weather gets hotter, the chances of paying back loans become difficult, leading to stress and in some extreme cases, suicides. The growing water scarcity poses further problems of survival to people and animals alike. Already there have been reports of cattle deaths due to water scarcity in the district. In recent years, the water level has gone down significantly.
The ill effects of climate change can also be seen on women farmers, especially poor women farmers because of their low social and economic status. They also have lesser accessibility to livelihood resources and land holdings.
There is a serious danger of climatic changes (in the form of severe droughts, floods, intense rainfall, and storms) undermining development programmes and millennium development goals aimed at reducing poverty.
Currently India is spending 2.5% of its total GDP on measures to control the adverse impact of climatic change, which is a big amount for any developing nation. sThe zeal of rapid industrialization, deforestation and wilful consumption of natural resources is likely to make the situation worse. Policy makers at the state, regional and national level should take a serious view of the economic, agricultural, health-related and environmental impacts of climate changes.
Amit Dwivedi
(The author is a Special Correspondent to Citizen News Service (CNS). Email: amit@citizen-news.org, website: www.Citizen-News.org)
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