| Major group affiliation: |
- Non-governmental organization
|
| Involvement in UN Partnerships: |
Yes |
| If yes, explain in detail: |
The IAHPC is an NGO in formal relations with the WHO. As a leading global organization in palliative care, it serves as a professional organization that provides advice, guidance and recommendations to member states, other NGOs and the civil society in issues related to care for patients with life-limiting conditions and their families. This is in accordance with SDG goal 3 target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all. In particular, IAHPC works on generating awareness about the lack of appropriate policies on palliative care, limited access to essential medicines, especially those needed for the relief of severe pain and improving education of health care workers so that they acquire the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of patients. IAHPC was the organization that submitted the application to the WHO Committee on the selection and use of essential medicines for pain relief and palliative care, which was approved and incorporated in the WHO Essential Medicines Model List in 2014. IAHPC is also present in meetings of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, where the IAHPC Advocacy Officer holds the position of Representative for the Civil Society in the Vienna NGO Committee. |
| Affiliation with other organizations: |
he Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People, The Global Health Council, NCD Alliance, Union for International Cancer Control, World Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance, International Association for the Study of Pain, International Federation of Medical Students'Associations, Latin American Association for Palliative Care, European Association for Palliative Care, African Palliative Care Association and Asia Pacific Hospice and Palliative Care Network. |
| Publications: |
Monthly Newsletter sent free via email to over 8,000 subscribers from around the world. The newsletter includes news about palliative care policies, advances in different regions and countries, opportunities for education and resources for the global palliative care community. The following editions have raised issues specific to the UN social development programs: Report on the 5th Open Ended Working Group on Aging: http://hospicecare.com/about-iahpca/newsletter/2014/9/policy-and-advocacy/ Report on the 6th OEWGA: http://www.ehospice.com/ArticleView/tabid/10686/ArticleId/16124/language/en-GB/View.aspx Other publications: - De Lima L. Palliative care and pain treatment in the global health agenda. Pain. 04/2015; 156 Suppl 1:S115-8. DOI: - De Lima, L. and Pastrana, T., 2016. Opportunities for Palliative Care in Public Health. Annual Review of Public Health, 37(1).10.1097/01.j.pain.0000460349.23083.0b. - Pastrana, T., Wenk, R. and De Lima, L., 2016. Consensus-Based Palliative Care Competencies for Undergraduate Nurses and Physicians: A Demonstrative Process with Colombian Universities. Journal of palliative medicine, 19(1), pp.76-82. - De Lima L, and Pastrana T. Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Workshops on the Availability and Rational Use of Opioids in Latin America. Journal of palliative medicine (2016). doi:10.1089/jpm.2016.0091. |
| Affiliation with other organizations: |
The Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People, The Global Health Council, NCD Alliance, Union for International Cancer Control, World Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance, International Association for the Study of Pain, International Federation of Medical Students'Associations, Latin American Association for Palliative Care, European Association for Palliative Care, African Palliative Care Association and Asia Pacific Hospice and Palliative Care Network. |
| Publications: |
Monthly Newsletter sent free via email to over 8,000 subscribers from around the world. The newsletter includes news about palliative care policies, advances in different regions and countries, opportunities for education and resources for the global palliative care community. The following editions have raised issues specific to the UN social development programs: Report on the 5th Open Ended Working Group on Aging: http://hospicecare.com/about-iahpca/newsletter/2014/9/policy-and-advocacy/ Report on the 6th OEWGA: http://www.ehospice.com/ArticleView/tabid/10686/ArticleId/16124/language/en-GB/View.aspx |
| Purpose of the organization: |
Our Mission is to improve the quality of life of adults and children with life-threatening conditions and their families by: Facilitating and supporting palliative care training at all levels of healthcare systems; Providing guidance and technical assistance with palliative care policy, advocacy, clinical guidelines, and service implementation, including assistance to governments and non-governmental organizations; Fostering palliative care research and evidence-based practice; Facilitating collaboration between hospice and palliative care providers, organizations, institutions and individuals. |
| Activities relevant to the conference of States Parties to the convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: |
Palliative care, care beyond cure, when prevention and control are no longer viable options, is a core element of a life course approach which is needed to achieve SDG Goal 3 of Agenda 2030 -- delivering care to hidden and vulnerable patients and families, including refugees and migrants. Participation in the 5th and 6th Open Ended Working Group on Aging in 2015 and 2015. Collaboration with DeJusticia (NGO), in developing a report on the status of the adherence of the countries in Latin America to the Inter-american Convention on the protection of the rights of older persons. http://www.cuidadospaliativosdh.org/#!/informe Hopefully this report will serve as an example of an international treaty that the working group could use as a resource and reference in the process of drafting a convention. Participation in a call to member states on a joint statement on refugee and migrant health and a joint statement on Strengthening People Centered Systems in September 2016. Both statements are uploaded in additional documents. |
| Confirmation of the activities of the organization at the regional, national or international level: |
Participation of the IAHPC Advocacy Officer in the 5th and 6th sessions of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing. CND and UNGA: The IAHPC Advocacy Officer was elected Vice-Chair of Vienna NGO Committee on Drugs (VNGOC), and was selected to serve on the Civil Society Task Force (CSTF), formed at the request of the President of the UN General Assembly, to prepare for UNGASS2016 (UN General Assembly Special Session on Drug Policy). On the CSTF, the IAHPC Advocacy Officer represents affected populations around the world with low or no access to controlled medicines, presenting their case to UN member states and suggesting remedial strategies, after formal consultation with sector leadership. Member of the CSTF are required to hold national, global, and regional consultations with service providers and organizations representing their affected populations. The IAHPC Advocacy Officer oversaw a series of electronic consultations and met wherever possible in person with global, national, and regional palliative care leaders in the process of compiling the final report of the Task Force. As a member of the CSTF and the VNGOC, the IAHPC Advocacy Officer makes regular interventions on the floor of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, the UN body charged with administering the drug control conventions, about the interface between drug policy and availability of controlled medicines. The majority of member states, having focused for decades on supply control of illicit drugs, taking a criminal justice, rather than public health approach to the use of narcotic substances, are unaware of the largely pernicious nature of this interface. Member states’ general lack of awareness regarding unavailability of the essential medicines controlled under the UN treaties, means that educational groundwork must be laid in order to produce better language on availability in the agreed texts of the international organizations. Progress has been made, and as a result of these interventions, and ongoing bilateral meetings with key representatives and delegations in Vienna, the language concerning controlled medicines in the “Outcome Document” to be presented by the CND to the UN General Assembly in April 2016, includes constructive suggestions regarding the need to improve availability. Textual attention to the topic has gone from one sentence on availability under “Demand Reduction” in the 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action, to a separate preambular paragraph, and stand-alone section with six operational paragraphs, advocating improved availability with increased WHO leadership, at the time of writing. The IAHPC Advocacy Officer has made several presentations at the United Nations at meetings held during the preparatory process for the UNGASS 2016 including at the Interparliamentary Union hearing, and the Informal Multi-Stakeholder Discussion convened by the President of General Assembly. The final report of that Discussion reflects the increased attention member states are now giving this topic. WHO and Geneva based organizations: The IAHPC Advocacy Officer has established fruitful relationships with several Special Procedures at the Human Rights Council, in particular the Special Rapporteur for Health, Dr. Danius Puras, and the Independent Expert on the Rights of Older Persons, Dr. Rosa Kornfield Matte. Both have issued several statements recognizing palliative care and access to controlled medicines as a human right. The IAHPC Advocacy Officer works closely with Dr. Gilles Forte, the IAHPC Focal Point at the WHO to ensure that controlled medicines is mentioned at all specialized presentations at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the Human Rights Council, the Executive Board, and the UN General Assembly. She has also ensured that an ADG from WHO is either chairing or participates as a panelist at high level drug policy events, including IAHPC side events. |
| A list of members of the governing body of the organization, and their countries of nationality: |
Sushma Bhatnagar (India), Rosa Buitrago (Panama), Mary Callaway (USA) Liliana De Lima (USA), Julia Downing (Uganda), Derek Doyle (UK), William Farr (USA), Eric Krakauer (USA), Mhoira Leng (Uganda), Esther Cege Munyoro (Kenya), Lukas Radbruch (Germany), Dang Huy Quoc Thinh (Vietnam), Chitra Venkateswaran (India), Roberto Wenk (Argentina), Roger Woodruff (Australia). |
| Description of the membership of the organization, indicating the total number of members: |
Individual members: 1020 Organizational members: 20 Members are individuals who have a common interest in supporting hospice and palliative care development. Individual members do not have an official representation and join as experts or as advocates for the advancement of palliative care policies and improvements in clnical practices. Individual members are separated in two categories: Professionals and Students. Students join the organization for free with proof of status (student card). Institutions name three individuals who serve as contact persons for the institution and who receive the same membership benefits that individuals have. Membership fees are based on the socio-economic levels of the countries as classified by the World Bank. 38% of our members are physicians, 53% have other health care professions and 2% are undergraduate students. The remaining 7% are institutions. When analyzed by regional category, the increasing trend is mostly due to members located in Africa, Asia, Central American/Caribbean and Oceania. All other regions, (North American, South America, and Europe) continue with equal or slightly more members than in previous years. In geographical distribution, Africa has the highest proportion (24%), followed by North America (21%), and Asia (20%). Benefits offered to the IAHPC members include: 1) free unlimited on-line access and downloads for full text articles from leading palliative care journals, including Palliative Medicine, International Journal of Palliative Nursing, Journal of Palliative Medicine, Indian Journal of Palliative Care, Progress in Palliative Care and the Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacology; 2) free IAHPC monthly e-newsletters with updates on palliative care advances around the world; 3) free access to the IAHPC’s website with resources; and 4) the opportunity to participate in IAHPC’s global activities including global advocacy to improve access to palliative care treatment and care and projects on essential medicines and essential palliative care practices. A list of all the IAHPC members is uploaded as an additional document to the application. |
Quadrennial report due? Read more on our updated page.
Questions on applications, reports, or other inquiries
Applying for ECOSOC Consultative Status?
Obtaining a UN Grounds Pass
Registering for a UN Conference?