Synergy Online -- March 6, 2003

Synergy Online is also available on the Web!
http://www.csih.org/synergy/synergy.html

In this issue:
-WEB PAGE FOR WORLD HEALTH DAY 2003 IS NOW AVAILABLE!
-AGREEMENT REACHED ON GLOBAL FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON TOBACCO CONTROL
-WHO/FAO RELEASE REPORT ON DIET AND CHRONIC DISEASE
-UN SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN URGES WORLD’S RICHEST COUNTRIES TO HELP
AFRICA ON HUNGER AND AIDS
-CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: 2ND INTERNATIONAL AIDS SOCIETY CONFERENCE ON HIV
PATHOGENESIS AND TREATMENT
-INTERNSHIPS IN GUATEMALA AND HONDURAS
-IDRC EVENT IN OTTAWA: THE HUMAN RIGHTS CHALLENGE IN A SHRINKING WORLD
-CALL FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST: DRUGS FOR NEGLECTED DISEASES INITIATIVE
-CANNABIS, IS IT SAFE?
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WEB PAGE FOR WORLD HEALTH DAY 2003 IS NOW AVAILABLE!

CSIH, on behalf of the Pan American Health Organization, invites all
health partners to consider marking "Health in the Americas Week," April
7-14, with an event of their own.  World Health Day starts the week off
on April 7th.  This year's World Health Day theme is "Shape the Future
of Life: Healthy Environments for Children."  The idea is to highlight
the critical need to create safe, healthy environments that allow
children to grow into healthy adults. A new web site was created for the
occasion with frequently updated content, background information, press
and multimedia features, a message from the Director of the Pan American
Health Organization (PAHO), and a lot more.  For more information or
help in planning your event, visit the PAHO website:
http://www.paho.org/English/DPI/whd03_main.htm.
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AGREEMENT REACHED ON GLOBAL FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON TOBACCO CONTROL

Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) have agreed on the
text of a groundbreaking public health treaty to control tobacco supply
and consumption. The text for a WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco
Control (FCTC) covers tobacco taxation, smoking prevention and
treatment, illicit trade, advertising, sponsorship and promotion, and
product regulation. FCTC concludes four years of work to produce an
international tobacco control treaty. The agreement is part of a global
strategy to reduce tobacco-related deaths and disease around the world.
The final text will be presented to the World Health Assembly in May for
adoption.  For the full press release, visit:
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2003/pr21/en/.
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WHO/FAO RELEASE REPORT ON DIET AND CHRONIC DISEASE

A diet low in energy-dense foods that are high in saturated fats and
sugars, and abundant in fruit and vegetables, together with an active
lifestyle are among the key measures to combat chronic disease
recommended in an independent Expert Report prepared for two UN
agencies.  The report, commissioned by the World Health Organization
(WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), aims to identify
new recommendations for governments on diet and exercise to tackle the
ever-increasing number of people who die each year from chronic
diseases. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2003/pr20/en/
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UN SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN URGES WORLD’S RICHEST COUNTRIES TO HELP
AFRICA COMBAT HUNGER AND AIDS

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on the world’s
richest countries today to provide the resources for a strategy of
“radical approaches on multiple fronts” in the battle against hunger in
Africa and the devastating impact of the AIDS pandemic on food
production there.  For the press release, visit:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=6343&Cr=africa&Cr1=aids.
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CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: 2ND INTERNATIONAL AIDS SOCIETY CONFERENCE ON HIV
PATHOGENESIS AND TREATMENT

The 2nd International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis
and Treatment will be held in Paris, July 13-16, 2003.  Organizers are
calling for abstracts.  The deadline for submission is March 15.  For
more information, visit: http://www.ias2003.org/.
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INTERNSHIPS IN GUATEMALA AND HONDURAS

Sombrilla Refugee Support Society is presently looking for candidates
interested in an internship position supporting a community development
and human rights project in Guatemala and an internship position
supporting a community development and agricultural economic project in
Honduras. Sombrilla is an Edmonton-based non-profit organization that
has long term partnerships with southern grassroots organizations in
order to build a sustainable development process and provide support for
communities that are victims of armed conflicts and/or are in a process
of resettlement in Central America.  For further details, visit the
Sombrilla website: http://www.sombrilla.ca/.
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IDRC EVENT IN OTTAWA: THE HUMAN RIGHTS CHALLENGE IN A SHRINKING WORLD

The International Development Research Centre will be hosting the
presentation "The Human Rights Challenge in a Shrinking World."  The
lecture will be given by Dr. Stephen J. Toope, President of the Pierre
Elliot Trudeau Foundation.  The lecture takes place Tuesday March 11,
2003, from 7:00-9:00 pm, at the 14th floor Auditorium, IDRC, 250 Albert
St. in Ottawa. For more information, visit:
http://www.idrc.ca/media/events/toope_e.html.
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CALL FOR LETTERS OF INTEREST: DRUGS FOR NEGLECTED DISEASES INITIATIVE

The Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), under the leadership
of "Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders ", seeks to
develop effective, affordable and field-relevant drugs for the most
neglected diseases in the world. DNDi’s  initial focus is on new drugs
for sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis and  Chagas disease. The DNDi is
now making a call for letters of interest for both drug discovery
projects and advanced development projects relevant to these diseases.
The deadline for submission is March 15, 2003.  For further information,
visit: http://www.accessmed-msf.org/dnd/dndi.asp.
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CANNABIS, IS IT SAFE?

The Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse has published the article
"Cannabis, is it safe?" on their website.  Cannabis (including
marijuana, hashish and hash oil) is the most commonly used illegal drug
by young people everywhere. Marijuana has been the subject of
controversy for several decades, but never more so than in recent
months. The current debate around the appropriate place of cannabis in
Canadian society has revealed some deeply held and opposing values that
can sometimes overshadow clear thinking and balanced information.   For
the article, visit: http://www.ccsa.ca/docs/cannabis/cannabisE.htm.
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