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Women's Health and Education Center (WHEC)

WHEC Update - October 2006

A Newsletter of worldwide activity of Women's Health and Education Center (WHEC)
October 2006; Vol. 1, No. 1

On 24th October 2002 when our e-learning publication was launched, I had millions of doubts about this project. In fact the reality has completely exceeded my fantasies. And that is remarkable given that I can dream pretty big. Four years later it is a very well respected international journal in women's healthcare and has captured many people's imaginations. A great-big thank you goes out to the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, UN Chronicle and Contemporary OB/GYN.

WomensHealthSection.com is no longer exclusively mine; it belongs to millions of readers around the world who feel this is their project too. Luckily; the memories of the uncertainty and fear I had in 2002 are almost forgotten.

Almost.

Enjoy WomensHealthSection.com, and a big thank you.

About NGO Association with the UN:

Non-governmental organizations have been partners of the Department of Public Information (DPI) since its establishment in 1947. Official relationships between DPI and NGOs date back to 1968. The Economic and Social Council in its resolution 1297 called on DPI to associate NGOs with effective information programs in place and thus disseminate information about issues on the UN's agenda and the work of the Organization. Through associated NGOs DPI seeks to reach people around the world and help them better understand the work and aims of the United Nations. The DPI/NGO Section is part of the department's Outreach Division and acts as its liaison between the United Nations and NGOs and other civil society organizations. It oversees partnerships with associated NGOs and provides a wide range of information services to them. These include weekly NGO briefings, communication workshops, an annual NGO conference and an annual orientation program for newly associated NGOs.

Currently there are 1533 NGOs with strong information programs associated with DPI out of which 634 are also associated with ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council). While consultative status with ECOSOC may be obtained by NGOs whose work covers issues on the agenda of ECOSOC, association with DPI also requires having effective information programs in place and the ability and means to disseminate information about the work of the United Nations.

Collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO):

The world's leading advocates for women and children have joined forces to create The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health. The Partnership unites leaders in developing and donor countries in the effort to achieve Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5, focusing global efforts to scale up resources, strategies and political commitments to achieve these goals. The vision of The Partnership is to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality and morbidity through universal coverage of essential care. For details please visit: http://www.pmnch.org/

Collaboration with UN University (UNU):

UNU provides specialized training throughout the world. Its "faculty" is an international network of scholars and professional contributors, while its "students" are mainly young researchers and other professionals (in particular, from developing countries) who receive postgraduate training as UNU fellows, or who benefit from UNU's capacity-building activities. Academic and professional staff is recruited from universities, research institutions, international organizations and similar institutions, often for fixed terms. The University's network personnel generally hold positions at major universities or research institutions worldwide and remain in their posts while working with UNU programs. A wide variety of nationalities and cultures are represented. UNU receives no funds from the United Nations regular budget; it is financed entirely from the endowment and from voluntary contributions from governments, agencies, foundations and individuals. UNU also has benefited from counterpart and other support, including cost sharing of scholarships and other activities.
Key roles of UNU:

  • An international community of scholars
  • A bridge between the UN and the academic community
  • A think-tank for the UN System
  • A builder of capacities, particularly in developing countries.

Top Two-Articles Accessed in September 2006:

  1. Managing Vesico-Vaginal Fistulae
    Authors: Dr. Neeraj Kohli, Director Div. of Urogynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA (USA)
    Dr. John R. Miklos, Assistant Professor, Medical College of Georgia, Atlanta, GA (USA)
  2. Profiling Domestic Violence
    WHEC Publication. Special thanks to Battered Women's Shelter of Springfield, MA for the assistance with research.

Special Thanks:

WHEC thanks Dr. John J. Sciarra, Professor Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwestern University, Chicago, ILL. (USA) for his enthusiasm for International Health and this project since its inception. His support and appreciation always inspires us.

WHEC thanks Judy Orvos, Editor, Contemporary OB/GYN for her assistance with Sign Out Column. We all are looking forward to work with her for a long time to come.

My deepest gratitude to Dr. James A. Whelton, Chairman (Retired) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, Boston, MA (USA) for teaching us the true meaning of patient-care and many valuable lessons of life.

Beyond the numbers...

Of all judgments that we pass in life, none is as important as the one we pass on ourselves, for that judgment touches the very center of our existence. We stand in the midst of an almost infinite network of relationships: to other people, to things, to the universe. And yet, at three o'clock in the morning, when we are alone with ourselves, we are aware that the most intimate and powerful of all relationships and the one we can never escape is the relationship to ourselves.

Women's Health & Education Center
Dedicated to Women's and Children's Well-being and Health Care Worldwide
www.womenshealthsection.com