During the VIII Summit of the Americas that took place in Lima, Peru, presidents of the region discussed corruption, the governance of our peoples and economic and social sustainability. For the first time at the Summit, health is on the agenda.
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.
Corruption, obstacles to democratic governance, lack of transparency, and difficulties in implementing public social policies are all factors that negatively impact the health systems of the region and conspire against the development of the communities of the Americas. The four main noncommunicable diseases (cardiovascular, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases) are the main cause of disease, disability and preventable death in the world in general and in the region of the Americas in particular. They are responsible for 70% of deaths.
The costs of these diseases constitute a significant burden for health budgets and national economies. These diseases reduce economic productivity, overload health systems and promote individual and family poverty. It is not possible to build a sustainable and functional economy if disability and premature deaths due to NCDs remain so high and costly for governments.
That is why civil society organizations in the region, based in the Healthy Latin American Coalition (CLAS), asked presidents present at the Summit to implement concrete measures to protect the health of the population without the interference of the industry. These measures include fiscal policies that increase the price of unhealthy products (cigarettes, sugary drinks, among others) to discourage consumption; the implementation of front labeling in foods that provide clear and useful information to consumers, among others. In parallel, CLAS asks presidents to make an appointment with health and attend the UN High Level Meeting on NCD on September 27, 2018 in New York City.
About CLAS
It is an alliance of more than 250 non-governmental organizations in Latin America whose purpose is to prevent and control non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in this region. Its members include medical societies, patient organizations, health NGOs, consumer NGOs, religious and academic entities. Founded in March 2011, it is aimed at reducing inequality, promoting human rights, and promoting effective policies with an impact on the risk factors and determinants of NCD. Its objective is to strengthen the action of civil society to prevent and control NCDs in the region through political advocacy, education, awareness and research, at the national and regional levels, so that effective policies are implemented, in line with the objectives of the United Nations (UN) and PAHO-WHO. It is an initiative of the Inter-American Heart Foundation.
00Comunicaciones Fundepshttps://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/logo-fundeps-15-aniversario-gr-300x120.pngComunicaciones Fundeps2018-04-17 17:57:122024-06-30 18:13:35More than 15 Latin American countries requested presidents measures to protect health
Together with FIC Argentina, the O’Neill Institute and the Chair of Food Sovereignty of the Nutrition School of the UBA, we present a report in which we warn the situation of chronic diseases in Argentina focusing on the particular situation of children and adolescents ; At the same time, we suggest to the State the adoption of some measures to reduce the consumption of tobacco products and unhealthy foods.
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.
When a country ratifies an international human rights treaty, it undertakes to comply with the obligations established in it. Many of these treaties establish mechanisms so that the rendering of accounts on the level of compliance with these obligations is open to the participation of civil society. In this case, Argentina’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child will be reviewed before the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which is the body of independent experts that supervises its application.
Measures such as, the limitation of advertising directed to boys and girls, the adoption of a simpler and more understandable nutrition labeling, the raising of taxes, the ratification by the Argentine State of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the establishment of school kiosks healthy
The information presented and the recommendations made are intended to ensure that between the next May 14 and June 1 the 78th session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child will be held, where the final evaluation will be made regarding the degree of compliance with the rights enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child by the Argentine state. The final observations that the Committee issues will be tools to require the Argentine State to comply with human rights standards.
00Comunicaciones Fundepshttps://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/logo-fundeps-15-aniversario-gr-300x120.pngComunicaciones Fundeps2018-04-17 14:31:382024-06-30 18:13:35We present a report on NCDs to the Committee on the Rights of the Child
On March 15, 2018, the Constitutional Court of Colombia rejected the challenge presented by the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce, and ratified its initial ruling. There he had pronounced in favor of the right of consumers and consumers to access information on the health effects of consuming sugary drinks.
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”.
In August 2017, the Constitutional Court of Colombia had ruled in favor of the protection promoted by the Colombian Association of Consumer Education (EDUCAR Consumers) and by Dejusticia, granting the fundamental rights promoted in it.
This process occurred in the context of the launch of a campaign by Educar Consumidores in August 2016: called “Take care of your life – Take it seriously” that sought to provide information on the harmful health consequences of regular consumption of certain sugary drinks . The campaign spread a commercial on television and radio that showed the high sugar content of these beverages, linking their consumption with problems such as diabetes or obesity, present both in Colombia and throughout the Latin American region.
Postobón SA, a sweetened beverages company in Colombia, denounced that commercial before the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC), which by means of a resolution ordered Educating Consumers to stop disseminating it, alleging that it was “misleading advertising” by not have scientific or medical support for their assertions. Also, it ruled that it was sent, before its publication, any advertising piece that in the future would like to transmit about the consumption of sugary drinks (BBAA) in any media, including social networks. This restriction was established by the SIC with the objective of exercising prior control and this being the one that authorizes or not its subsequent dissemination, under penalty of fine.
Faced with this, Educar Consumidores decided to file a lawsuit claiming for the violation of their right to freedom of expression in a matter of public interest. At the same time that Dejusticia, also, filed a complementary legal action stating that the resolution of the SIC violated the right of consumers to access relevant information that would allow them to make informed consumption decisions. After different instances and a very good decision of the Supreme Court of Colombia (already commented by FUNDEPS), both cases were accumulated by the Constitutional Court.
We recall briefly that it was before an instance that FUNDEPS together with FIC Argentina, presented an amicus curiae (see note) whose grounds sought to prove that the measures adopted by the SIC resolution meant a violation of human rights obligations at different levels. On the one hand, it violated the freedom of expression of an organization of civil society, even being a clear prior censorship and, on the other, it mattered a serious breach of recommendations of human rights organizations on how to guarantee the right to health and food, and how to deal with the global epidemic of obesity and malnutrition.
Regarding the decision of the Colombian Constitutional Court, in its judgment T-543/17, it was clearly established that “the messages transmitted by Educar Consumidores -which is a non-profit organization and that does not promote any product- are framed in a public health campaign that, beyond influencing a consumer decision, sought to warn of the health risks of excessive consumption of sugary drinks.”
Likewise, he argued that freedom of information (as a component of freedom of expression) in accordance with Article 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights, “includes the freedom to seek and access information, the freedom to inform and, the freedom and the right to receive truthful and impartial information about facts, ideas and opinions of any kind through any means of expression“. Similarly, said that although freedom of information is not an absolute right, any limitation is presumed suspicious, so it must be subject to a strict constitutionality, as required by the case in particular. This is because the right to inform and the right of consumers to receive information, fulfill several essential functions in the ordering, “(i) first, it guarantees the right of consumers to the relevant information on food products that consume, giving meaning to the essential core of their right to information. (ii) Secondly, it enables consumers to freely choose the food products they wish to consume, according to their own life orientation, thus respecting the essential core of the right to choose, which is the responsibility of the consumer and which is linked clearly to the expression of their free development of personality. Third, (iii) it guarantees health protection and prevention, by admitting the presumed or eventual risks linked with aspects of the development of these products that are unknown to society up to now, based on the precautionary principle. [and] (iv) fulfills an instrumental function, by facilitating the monitoring of these products by the corresponding authorities“.
In view of the above, the Court ruled that the SIC violated the fundamental right to freedom of expression of the plaintiffs by submitting the transmission of information on the consumption of BBAA to a prior control over its contents and ordered it, for the term of three months, publish on your home page of your website, a link with access to the aforementioned order with a statement that synthesizes the content of it.
However, the SIC against such resolution decided to file a judicial appeal (nullity action) in order to render the judgment issued by the Court ineffective. FUNDEPS participated on this occasion in the presentation of a collective amicus together with other NGOs of the region. The challenge was resolved on March 15 and confirmed what the Supreme Court of Justice and the Ninth Chamber of the Constitutional Court had upheld. in the initial ruling, with the same arguments: consumers and consumers have the right to know what is the impact that the consumption of sugary drinks and any other product have on our health and that a public health campaign like the one questioned constitutes a message from Informative type that can not be censored.
We celebrate the ruling issued by the Constitutional Court and we believe that decisions such as these are relevant for Colombia and for all of Latin America. The growth of obesity (especially strong impact on children and adolescents) and the strong presence of advertising strategies in the food industry are repeated throughout the region. This situation demands from the State a particularly active role through public policies that, among other things, facilitate access to relevant information on consumer decisions. In turn, we emphasize that the sentence matters and contributes to the generation of valuable and positive jurisprudential precedents in favor of the human right to health and adequate food, allowing voices not driven by economic interests to be respected and heard. We continue accompanying and, proclaiming due recognition and adequate protection of the right to health and food.
https://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/candy-1.jpg12801920Comunicaciones Fundepshttps://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/logo-fundeps-15-aniversario-gr-300x120.pngComunicaciones Fundeps2018-03-14 18:58:082024-06-30 18:13:35The Constitutional Court of Colombia rules in favor of the right to health and information
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”
In our country, overweight and childhood obesity constitute a public health problem of great magnitude. This was corroborated by the World School Health Survey which showed that in Argentina overweight in adolescents aged 13 to 15 years increased from 24.5% to 28.6% between 2007 and 2012. Likewise, the results of the National Nutrition Survey and Health reported an obesity prevalence of 10.4% in children from 6 months to 6 years of age.
In this context, FUNDEPS participated in an investigation together with the Inter-American Federation of the Argentine Heart (FIC) and the Catholic University of Santa Fe in which the labeling of foods, claims and marketing strategies in various products of our country was analyzed.
After examining 301 products, the research showed that 87% of breakfast cereals, desserts and sweet cookies contain an excessive amount of one or more critical nutrients such as sodium, free sugars or fats. Likewise, 4 out of 10 containers of cereals, desserts and cookies of low nutritional quality use nutrition messages such as “Source of vitamins and minerals” or “50% of recommended daily calcium”.
On the other hand, it was determined that the current regulations related to food labeling and marketing techniques in our country are ineffective in adequately regulating this matter, which leaves an important margin for companies to take advantage of these legal gaps, confusing the consumer and limit in your choices. In this way, the State fails to comply with its obligation to protect the human right to health, which requires preventing the actions of third parties from affecting the possibility that a group of people can effectively exercise their right to health.
This situation demonstrates the need to strengthen the existing regulation and the implementation of effective mechanisms aimed at restricting these deceptive marketing practices and developing a nutritional labeling that provides the necessary information to ensure the right of consumers to clear and truthful information, contributing to the choice of healthier options. In this way, in addition, the State will adequately fulfill its obligations in relation to human rights to health and adequate food.
https://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/d_0-1.jpg330750Fundeps.orghttps://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/logo-fundeps-15-aniversario-gr-300x120.pngFundeps.org2017-11-23 21:48:272024-06-30 18:13:36The hidden deception of the industry behind food labeling
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”
BUENOS AIRES. On Friday, November 24, there is a day for the presentation of the National Coalition for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity; What is sought from this initiative is to decrease the highest rates of this epidemic, based on mutual and collaborative work.
Currently, there are about 41 million children under 5 years of age who are overweight or obese, of which more than 80% live in developing countries. The data available in the Latin American region indicate that, in general terms, 20% to 25% of those under 19 years of age are affected by overweight and obesity. In Argentina, the World School Health Survey conducted in 2012, showed that overweight among students was 28.6% in 2012, being higher among men (35.9% vs. 21.8% women) and with higher prevalence at younger ages.
The event contains instances for intersectoral dialogue in order to discuss the situation of the problem in Argentina, define lines of action and next steps. Representatives of international organizations such as PAHO Argentina, representatives of the governmental sector, and members of the academic and civil society are participating.
In addition, the first consensual document of the Coalition is presented, which deals with policy standards for healthy school environments in Argentina. The same was working in a coordinated manner among the members and its final conclusion is intended, from this day.
Our decision to participate in this network arises with the intention of addressing more effectively an important public health problem. In addition, we believe that it is necessary that these spaces have local data for the purpose of designing policies appropriate to local realities in terms of healthy eating.
https://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/obesidad-infantil_5-1.jpg-1.jpg330750Fundeps.orghttps://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/logo-fundeps-15-aniversario-gr-300x120.pngFundeps.org2017-11-22 21:44:042024-06-30 18:13:36We participate in the launch of the National Coalition for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”
FUNDEPS, in collaboration with the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University and the Faculty of Law of the National University of Cordoba, announces renewal of the internship program.
Convening institutions
– O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Law Center
– Faculty of Law of the National University of Córdoba
– FUNDEPS – Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Policies
Requirements for presentation
– To be registered as a regular student of the career of Advocacy in the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences of the National University of Cordoba.
– Have passed or are studying Public International Law.
– Have a general average, with deferrals, of 7 or more points.
– Have excellent written and oral English language skills.
Selection Mechanism
– Deadline for submission of applications: 28 October 2017.
– A Selection Committee of the UNC will select a list of five to seven pre-selected persons, who will be invited to an interview to be held in English on October 31, 2017 at the UNC Law School, instead of confirm.
– On November 1, 2017 the UNC Selection Committee will send a list of three to five people to the O’Neill Institute for National whose team will decide the person selected to complete the internship.
– The selected person must participate, during November and December, in training activities on the human right to health, in the human rights area of FUNDEPS.
Documentation to be submitted
– Letter of motivation in English justifying the application to the internship program of the O’Neill Institute
– Detailed curriculum vitae in English, no more than 3 pages
– Scanned copy of the analytical certificate (not electronic version)
* The materials must be sent in digital format in a single file in Acrobat Reader (.pdf format) to the address: info@fundeps.org, indicating in the subject: O’Neill Call – “Name of the candidate”.
Selection criteria
– Average.
– Interest in the area of the right to health or human rights.
– Academic research experience.
– Experience working in civil society organizations.
– English level.
Financing
– The consideration given by the O’Neill Institute during the months of the rented internship (January, February and March) allows lodging and living expenses during those months as well as the tickets from Cordoba to Washington, DC.
– FUNDEPS makes available an honor credit for those who need support to cover the anticipated payment of the air ticket, under conditions to be determined.
For application send an email to info@fundeps.org
Informative talk: Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at the Faculty of Law of the UNC (time to confirm via social networks)
https://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/grafica_modelo_web-1.jpg330750Fundeps.orghttps://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/logo-fundeps-15-aniversario-gr-300x120.pngFundeps.org2017-10-13 20:28:552024-06-30 18:13:36Health and law: internship at the O’Neill Institute, Georgetown University
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”
When a country ratifies an international human rights treaty, it undertakes to comply with the obligations set out therein. Many of these treaties establish mechanisms for accountability on the level of compliance with these obligations to be open to the participation of civil society. In this case, the obligations of Argentina under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) are reviewed before the CESCR. In collaboration with other civil society organizations in Argentina, we have approached critical observations, recommendations and questions through two reports: one more general about various aspects related to obligations in ESCR and another focused on the protection of the health of chronic noncommunicable diseases .
Structural report developed jointly with ACIJ
Together with the Civil Association for Equality and Justice (ACIJ), we produced a report during the month of August with comments on Argentina’s compliance with the rights enshrined in the ICESCR. This report is based on the report that Argentina presented to the Committee in late 2016 to report on the progress it has made in terms of these rights, so it is called “shadow report”.
In this instance, the CDESC opens the opportunity for civil society organizations to comment on the topics covered in the official reports and to suggest questions for members of the Committee to delve into sessions with representatives of the State. To these ends, from FUNDEPS and ACIJ we have presented data alternative to those provided by the government, in some points such as: production and quality of data on ESCR; access to justice in ESCR; education rights; right to inclusive education; right to health; right to gender equality; rights of environmental defenders; among other.
Report on the protection of the health of chronic noncommunicable diseases
Together with FIC Argentina, the O’Neill Institute and the Chair of Food Sovereignty of the School of Nutrition of the University of Buenos Aires, we present a report in which we warn about the situation of chronic diseases in Argentina; at the same time as we suggest to the State the adoption of some measures to reduce the consumption of tobacco products and unhealthy foods.
Measures such as limiting advertising aimed at children, adoption of simpler and more understandable nutrition labeling, tax increases, ratification by the Argentine State of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and adoption of measures particularly vulnerable groups.
The information presented and the questions asked to the State are that next year the final evaluation will be done, after giving Argentina a right of reply and civil society organizations to submit shadow reports again. The concluding observations that the Committee issues are tools to require the Argentine State to comply with human rights standards on ESCR.
https://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/whatsapp_image_2017-05-22_at_15.07.43-1-1.jpeg330750Fundeps.orghttps://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/logo-fundeps-15-aniversario-gr-300x120.pngFundeps.org2017-09-30 20:25:262024-06-30 18:13:36Joint submission of reports to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Social
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”
The participation of FUNDEPS in the 2017 edition of the Hack (at) ONG was hand in hand with our health team. Throughout the day of Saturday September 16, we decided to work on an application and web site that would allow better access to information about licensed geriatrics in the city and province of Cordoba.
Our proposal for this initiative was based on the aging of the population, coupled with structural changes produced in society that makes more and more families choose geriatric residences for care, attention and care of the elderly. This is a great challenge for the Argentine State: at present there are no national norms that unify demands for quality and care in these residences. Added to this, provincial norms in general only allude to building issues, within a regulation that is still far from conceiving of old age from a paradigm of human rights.
Within the framework of the Open Government movement, the Municipality of Cordoba and the Province of Cordoba have tried to improve their standards of transparency. The Municipality, today has an Open Government portal that has made available to the public a large amount of data and information. For this Hack (at) NGO 2017, we wanted to encourage better accessibility to information on geriatrics enabled in the Municipality and the Province, while promoting a collaborative type of tool between citizens and the government.
Using this information, we seek to promote the development of a public registry of public and private geriatrics qualified in the province of Cordoba, which also includes the results of the periodic inspections carried out in them.
Currently, there is a tool at the municipal level to find information about licensed geriatrics in the city of Córdoba. We considered that on this basis could be worked on including information at the provincial level, while generating a dynamic of operation of the registry in which the participation of citizenship is possible. The day ended then with a first draft of the tool in which it was possible to geolocalize the geriatrics of the City of Cordoba and map in the first instance some geriatric at the provincial level. It should be noted that today there is no public registry in the Province of Cordoba with this systematized information. In the future, we hope to achieve the publication of this information and its incorporation into the tool developed.
https://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/wp_20170916_002-1.jpg330750Fundeps.orghttps://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/logo-fundeps-15-aniversario-gr-300x120.pngFundeps.org2017-09-26 16:01:282024-07-28 00:21:10We participate in the Hack(at)ONG 2017
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”
On August 10, we made a presentation before the Colombian Constitutional Court to clarify the content and scope of the fundamental right to health. An amicus curiae (friend of the court or friend of the court) is a presentation made by a non-litigious third party, where he voluntarily offers an opinion on some aspect of law, to collaborate with the court in the resolution of the litigation.
The Colombian Association of Consumer Education (Educar Consumidores) launched in August 2016 a campaign called “Take care of your life – Tómala en Serio”, which sought to provide information on the harmful health consequences of regular consumption of certain sugary drinks. In the framework of this campaign, a video was broadcast on television and on radio that showed the high sugar content of these beverages, connecting these behaviors with health complications such as diabetes or obesity, which occur both in Colombia and throughout Region of Latin America. Postobon S.A., a sweetened beverage company from Colombia, denounced this video before the Superintendency of Industry and Commerce (SIC). As a result, the SIC prohibited by resolution 59176, the dissemination of the commercials alleging that it was “misleading advertising” for not having scientific or medical support for their assertions.
Resolution 59176 issued by the SIC ordered Educar Consumidores to cease the dissemination of the commercial. Also, it ordered to send to the office of the Delegation of Research and Consumer Protection of the SIC, any advertising piece that in the future wishes to transmit on the consumption of sweetened beverages (BBAA) before its publication. This restriction would apply to any medium of communication, including social networks; And the SIC established it with the objective of exercising prior control over it and deciding whether to authorize its publication and dissemination or not, under penalty of fine.
Faced with this situation, Educar Consumidores filed a lawsuit claiming for violation of its freedom to express itself in a matter of public interest. At the same time, Dejusticia filed a supplementary legal action claiming that the resolution of the SIC violated the right of consumers to access relevant information. After different instances and a very good decision of the Supreme Court of Colombia that was already commented by FUNDEPS, both cases were accumulated by the Constitutional Court. In this instance, the Constitutional Court will have the opportunity to clarify the limits of the commercial discourse and its differences with the awareness campaigns. At the same time, it may raise the relevance of access to information to ensure the right to health and to make consumer decisions with adequate information.
The amicus presented together with FiC Argentina provides arguments of international human rights law that we consider relevant for the resolution of the case. With this intervention, we hope to contribute to the solution of a case that we consider to be of extreme importance for both Colombia and the rest of Latin America. Judicial processes like this have great repercussions both globally and regionally, as they generate valuable jurisdictional background on the important issue of healthy eating.
The foundations of the amicus curiae seek to demonstrate that the measures adopted by the SIC resolution mean a violation of human rights obligations at different levels, while weakening the possibilities of responding to a global epidemic of malnutrition and obesity. On the one hand, it violates the freedom of expression of a civil society organization, it is even a clear prior censorship regarding its action in the public sphere. It also implies a violation of human rights obligations as it violates the recommendations of monitoring bodies on how to deal with the obesity epidemic. Different bodies and specialized offices such as CDESC, CRC or rapporteurs for the right to health or the right to food have pointed out that the obesity epidemic is definitely a human rights problem affecting a vulnerable population: children And adolescents.
From FUNDEPS and FIC Argentina we believe that this decision will have relevance both within Colombia and at the regional level. The growth of obesity – with a particularly strong impact on children and adolescents – and the strong presence of advertising strategies in the food industry are repeated throughout the region. Chronic noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of death in the world. It is the duty of the State to respect, guarantee and protect the rights of its citizens, especially when dealing with fundamental issues such as the protection of health. Therefore, the decision of the Court in this case will be important beyond the borders of Colombia.
https://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web_1-1.jpg330750Fundeps.orghttps://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/logo-fundeps-15-aniversario-gr-300x120.pngFundeps.org2017-08-19 19:20:032024-06-30 18:13:36Introducing amicus curiae to defend the right to information and health
“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”
On June 21 of this year, an order was made with more than 25 civil society organizations, the Minister of Social Development, Carolina Stanley, requesting the immediate reinstatement of all pensions suspended or discharged in violation of due process , Both during the month of June, as in previous months. It was demanded the implementation of an information and discussion mechanism that effectively and effectively assures the right to be heard, and to exercise the defense of all those persons holding a disability pension. In addition, we ask for the generation of spaces for the participation of civil society, in the process of adapting decree 432/97 to international standards.
In response to the claim made, the Ministry of Social Development showed that it does not implement appropriate administrative procedures prior to the decision to withdraw non-contributory pensions, and did not give any response to the request to review the criteria of the decree 432/97, implementing instances of participation and consultation with organizations of and for persons with disabilities.
The Ministry explained that it does not implement any mechanism to guarantee the right to be heard, and due process of the people to whom the benefit is suspended. On the other hand, he replied that two provisions have been approved that render suspensions inoperative, and that a mechanism for communicating suspensions is in the process of being implemented, but it did not accredit their compliance or give access to the content of the aforementioned provisions.
Both the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation and the Federal Chamber of Social Security have respectively indicated that the administrative act that provides for the reduction of a non-contributory pension is illegitimate if it is approved without analyzing all the facts of the case; And that the powers of the Pension Assistance Commission to verify compliance with the requirements of the regulations for the enjoyment of non-contributory pensions can not be exercised without due process of adjective protection of the administrative procedure law; And a non-contributory pension can be suspended only after giving the persons affected the possibility of defense and pleading, and the facts on which it is based are fully proven.
The state action, in addition to violating the right of defense, represents a regressive act, in violation of the principle of progressivity and non-regressivity, which should govern the implementation of public policies in the area of economic and social rights, such as the right to Social security for people with disabilities. This is why an urgent response to the problem faced by people with disabilities is required.
Lastly, the importance is again emphasized and it is urged that spaces for the participation of civil society in the process of amending decree 432/97 be generated and replaced by a new norm that respects the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Persons with Disabilities and the international treaties of Human Rights and ensure that, until this happens, their interpretation is done in accordance with said instruments.
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“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”
The main objective of the meeting is to inform about the lines of action that the Program develops and to propose strategies for the joint work. This Commission was established on the basis of Resolution 732/2016 that determined the creation of the National Program of Healthy Food and Obesity Prevention in the scope of the Direction of Promotion of the Health and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases.
At the beginning of the event, Dr. Adolfo Rubinstein (Secretary of Health Promotion, Prevention and Control of Risks) and Dr. Verónica Schoj (Director of Health Promotion and Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases) speak. Veronica Risso Patrón (Coordinator of the National Program for Healthy Eating and Obesity Prevention) explains the Commission’s working proposal: thematic and modality of work, schedule, expected products. Finally, the signing of declarations of conflicts of interest takes place at the meeting.
It is expected that the Commission will work through voluntary advisory subcommittees on different topics: food reformulation, nutritional profiles and front labeling, marketing and advertising of foods, promotion and healthy school environments.
Childhood obesity is a problem with serious health and economic consequences that is increasingly affecting low- and middle-income countries and the most vulnerable sectors of the population. At present, there are about 41 million children under 5 years of age who are overweight or obese, of whom more than 80% live in developing countries. We celebrate these kinds of initiatives that represent an opportunity for the debate and the coordination of efforts of multiple actors of society. We also emphasize the importance of including and ensuring the effective participation of organizations from different provinces that account for the specific and specific reality of each one, and allow progress towards the construction of a federal policy on healthy eating.
Contact
Agustina Mozzoni, <agustinamozzoni@fundeps.org>
https://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/hola-1.jpg330750Fundeps.orghttps://fundeps.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/logo-fundeps-15-aniversario-gr-300x120.pngFundeps.org2017-07-23 18:48:552024-06-30 18:13:36First meeting of the National Commission on Healthy Eating and Obesity Prevention
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The vague explanations given by Minister Stanley are insufficient, and do not address the serious problems that the Ministry itself has generated. Among their shortcomings, it is observed that they do not specify which pensions will be restored and which will not be reinstated, omit to detail in which cases they consider that there have been errors, what will be the procedure that will be applied, and what criteria will be applied to resolve on the granting and continuity of pensions .
The massive pension suspension occurred without respecting minimum guarantees of due process, and applied restrictive and unconstitutional criteria.
The suspension and suspension of pensions not only implies the suspension of the economic benefit, but also restricts access to medical services. The interruption of medical treatment is one of the serious consequences that this measure has caused.
Of the complaints received we observe that in certain cases the Ministry continues to maintain unreasonable criteria, which is seen in the suspension support for owning a motor vehicle. Also, some people the Ministry has told them that it is not certain when their benefit will be restored, saying that it could be only the following month or later. The non-application of the procedure, the inaccuracies of the official communications and the concrete responses that are being received by the people affected by several days lead to many of them continuing in uncertainty as to whether they will recover their pension or how to Dispute a suspension which they consider to be arbitrary. Their defenselessness further aggravates their situation of vulnerability.
The criteria used, by means of an isolated interpretation of Decree 423/97, which include the analysis of assets and / or income in the family group, reinforce the dependence links of persons with disabilities, ignoring their right to live independently and to be included In the community, recognized in art. 19 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The Ministry must immediately reinstate suspended or discharged pensions in violation of due process, both during the month of June and in previous months, and implement an information and discussion mechanism that effectively and effectively assures the right to To be heard and to exercise the defense, to offer and produce evidence, in good time, by all persons holding a disability pension.
Lastly, it has been requested to generate spaces for the participation of civil society in the process of adapting decree 432/97 to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to international human rights treaties and to ensure that until such happens Its interpretation is done in accordance with those instruments.
