Newsletter May 2024

Monopoly, the Medicine Edition presented to Dutch MPs

On May 14, Wemos presented the game ‘Monopoly, the Medicine Edition’, to MPs from the Committee for Public Health, Welfare and Sport in the Dutch Parliament. With this we draw attention to excessive and opaque prices of new medicines, on which pharmaceutical companies have a monopoly. The presentation to MPs is part of a campaign in which Wemos calls on the Dutch government to ensure fair medicine prices. Read more ➔

Government agreement: budget cuts threaten global health

On Thursday 16 May, the negotiating parties PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB presented their agreement for a new Dutch government. We are very concerned about the planned cuts in development cooperation, amounting to 2.4 billion a year from 2027. They will harm the positive impact of Dutch investments in recent years. While investments are desperately needed, both in global health and many related challenges, like poverty, climate change and the protection of human rights. We support Partos' call (in Dutch) for the coalition to reverse these cuts.

Five priorities for the Summit and Pact for the Future

Preparations for the Summit of the Future are in full swing. On 8 May, the Make Way programme sponsored a workshop at the UN Civil Society Conference in support of the summit, in Nairobi. The workshop examined the Pact for the Future, the expected outcome document from the summit, through a decolonial and intersectional feminist lens. With a diverse group of experts and activists, we outlined five priorities for a feminist, inclusive and actionable pact. Read our priorities here ➔

Make Way for Youth podcast

The Make Way programme just launched the ‘Make Way for Youth podcast’! The podcast is a youth-led initiative that brings to the fore conversations on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in sub-Saharan Africa. With co-hosts Warindi, Vilda and Bertha, the series will dive into an array of topics related to SRHR, including meaningful youth participation, disability justice and intersectionality. This podcast offers a space to break taboos, normalize conversations on SRHR and share inspiring stories. Listen to the first episode on Spotify or YouTube.

Webinar on access to medicines in the Pandemic Accord

On 21 May, Wemos hosted an informative webinar in the run-up to the 77^th World Health Assembly about the latest developments concerning international agreements on improving access to medicines in pandemics. The speakers focused on the state of the Pandemic Accord negotiations and amendments, as well as the International Health Regulations. Leading experts and country representatives shared their insights and views, including Pandemic Accord negotiators for the Philippines, United States and Colombia. Watch the recording ➔

Q&A on the pandemic treaty

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that countries cannot defend themselves against international health threats on their own. That is why member states of the World Health Organization are discussing international agreements in the form of a pandemic treaty. However, there are many misconceptions about this process. We drafted questions and answers (in Dutch) to clarify the processes around the pandemic treaty as well as the revision of the International Health Regulations. Read more ➔

World Health Assembly event on health worker recruitment

We are hosting an in-person side event at the 77^th World Health Assembly in Geneva with partners. It will be a policy debate for member states and civil society on how to make the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel effective. We will continue the discussion about ‘the Code’ from our webinar about civil society’s and other independent stakeholders’ contributions to the 5^th reporting round on the Code implementation. Join us in Geneva ➔

Wemos tips & picks

‘Dark Waters’ is based on a true story about lawyer Robert Bilott's battle against the chemical company DuPont. Investigating unexplained animal deaths, Bilott uncovers that DuPont's chemical dumping has caused severe health issues, including cancer. He files a significant lawsuit against the corporation, seeking justice for the affected community. This movie highlights the critical need for corporate accountability and the impact of private responsibility on public health - a compelling watch!