UN side events Rio+20 Conference - Water and Sustainable Development: Elimination of Cholera in The

UN side events during Rio+20 Conference

Discussion Panel

Water and Sustainable Development: Elimination of Cholera in The Hispaniola

Venue: ISAGS

Date: Tuesday June 19, 2012

Time: 12:00 to 14:30 hrs

Background

The region of the Americas has evolved dramatically since the 1992 Earth Summit. It is enjoying a demographic bonus, it has become more inserted into the global economy, it has become more democratic, it has grown out of decades of economic crisis, it stronger economically, with less extreme poor but still with large economic gaps.

We acknowledge that health is at the core of sustainable development, both as being impacted by the social, environmental and economic conditions as well providing an input for development and making it sustainable.

However, developing nations are confronting a double burden of acute infections and chronic non communicable diseases that critically impede their development. The international community should use the principle of solidarity to live up to the challenge of supporting the empowering efforts of countries to raise their conditions of living. Such is the case of the nations in Hispaniola, and of major concern the situation of Haiti.

A platform to coordinate the efforts of the countries propelled at the beginning of 2012 as a response for a Call of Action to Eliminate Cholera in Hispaniola has been established through the launching of the Coalition for the Elimination of Cholera in the Hispaniola.

General Objective:

To present the current plans on water infrastructure to confront the challenge of Cholera in the countries of the Hispaniola, address the functions and the call of the Coalition of agencies and countries established to support their efforts, and motivate the broader support for the proposed actions to follow up.

Objectives of Side Event:

1. Present the Health and Development situation of the countries in Hispaniola, and the challenge from the recent epidemic of Cholera

2. Present the Coalition for the Elimination of Cholera in Hispaniola, and its proposed activities

3. To call for contributing to the countries efforts to make their development sustainable by other potential partners and actions to the Coalition

Co-Sponsors:

PAHO/WHO; Ministries of Health and Water responsible authorities of Dominican Republic, Haiti; Ministry of Health of Brazil, IDB , CDC, ECLAC, UNDP-SS-GATE ; (others that might be added)

Proposed Panelists/Speakers

I. Welcome and presentation of the Moderator