Raising Awareness for Children with Chronic Health Conditions!

The 63rd United Nations Department of Public Information / Non-Government Organisation (UNDPI/NGO) Conference "Advance Global Health - Achieve the MDGs" was held in Melbourne, Australia in September 2010. This was a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of the issues facing all children living with any long-term health condition in resource-poor countries, as the global community seeks to achieve the Millenium Development Goals by 2015.

CLAN is very grateful to the brilliant team who helped to make our Conference Workshop possible:

- Prof Garry Warne (Royal Children's Hospital International) who spoke on the need for affordable access to essential medicines and equipment

- Assoc Prof Maria Craig (Children's Hospital Westmead and the Australasian Paediatric Endocrinology Group) who spoke on the power and importance of education, research and advocacy

- Dr Aman Pulungan (Dr Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta; the Indonesian Pediatric Society's Endocrinology Chapter and the Asia Pacific Pediatric Endocrinology Society) who spoke on the situation for children with chronic conditions in Indonesia (pictured with Maria Craig)

- Mr Shan Ali (Chair of Grameen Foundation Australia) who spoke of Grameen's views on the links between health and poverty, and challenges facing families of children who have serious health problems.

- Sincere thanks must also go to ADRA International for sponsoring our Workshop.

Moderated by Dr Kate Armstrong (President, CLAN), our Workshop shared a grassroots, community development approach to fulfilling our collective responsibility to help children who are living with chronic health conditions in resource-poor settings fulfil their rights to health and life.

The Conference was a terrific chance to network and participate in a range of fascinating Workshops. There were also over 40 Exhibits to explore, with a huge range of diverse and passionate NGOs represented.

CLAN was fortunate to have our own Exhibit at the Conference (see photo with Aman Pulungan, Shan Ali, Maria Craig and Kate Armstrong). Special thanks must go to Dr Sue Ditchfield, Chris Healy and Laura Healy (photo below with Dr Aman Pulungan) for their help in manning our Exhibit throughout the Conference. There were a lot of interested visitors, and this was a great opportunity to raise awareness amongst key stakeholders and policy makers that children experience chronic health conditions (it's not just all about adults!); that children with special needs require special care and assistance if they are to attain their basic human rights; and that change IS possible if we take a strategic, sustainable approach to a really complex issue.

Perhaps the best overall outcome from this conference was the meaningful inclusion of children within the final Declaration. The entire Declaration is available online, but some particularly encouraging excerpts are:

- the call to "Actively support, encourage and resource community voices to be heard through active representation in program planning, implementation and evaluation; always including representation of women and men, children, youth and older persons, indigenous peoples, the disabled and marginalized groups" and

- acknowledgement that "it is unacceptable that so many children and adults in low income countries continue to suffer preventable illness, disability and premature deaths each year.  The world knows how to prevent and treat most of the causes and has shown that well-focused efforts can significantly reduce levels of suffering".

This Declaration will be a useful advocacy tool moving forward, and CLAN looks forward to continuing our advocacy efforts for children around the world. We hope the September 2010 review of the MDGs by the UN will include children with chronic health needs and disabilities in a meaningful way.

Please feel free to listen to Kate Armstrong talk about some of these issues in an ABC National Radio interview given on-site at the conference.