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Institute for Development and Human Security of Ewha HoldsBack-to-Back Events on Global Public Health in the SDGs Era
Institute for Development and Human Security (IDHS) of Ewha Womans University held three back-to-back events on global public health in the SDGs era between September 18 and 19, 2018 at the LG Convention Hall. The '2018 International Girls' Health Student Writing Competition' and the 'Policy Forum on Child Vulnerability and Humanitarian Assistance' with World Vision Korea were held on September 18, and the 'International Conference on SDGs and Global Health' was held on the 19th.
The events were results of two consecutive grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. IDHS received its first grant, 'Advocacy for Korean Engagement in Global Health Development' from September 2013 to August 2016. With the second and most recent grant, 'Korea Global Health Strategy (November 2016 to October 2019), IDHS has worked to enhance South Korea's development cooperation by engaging with key stakeholders across the government, multilateral agencies, civil society organizations, universities and the general public, and by building a strong community on global health and development. The three events were part of IDHS' domestic and global outreach efforts to enhance public awareness on global public with emphasis on children and girls' health in developing countries.
The main objective of the '2018 International Girls' Health Student Writing Competition' was to encourage young students to find ways to improve the health and well-being of girls from their own perspective, thereby raising awareness of its importance among youth and bringing their ideas to life. It was a valuable opportunity to enlighten students in South Korea and the world about the severity of health challenges many girls face in developing countries and the importance of addressing and mitigating such challenges. The event was held in partnership with the Ewha Global Health Institute for Girls and UNESCAP East and North-East Asia Office, and was supported by the Gates Foundation and The Asia Foundation. Seven teams were selected as winners, including two teams from the Graduate School of International Studies at Ewha Womans University.
<Photos> (Left) Group Photo of the Competition (Right) Presentation by the 1st Prize Winners (Hye Yong Kim (South Korea) and Nataly Chavez (Peru) of Seoul National University)
Following the competition, IDHS held a joint policy forum on child vulnerability and humanitarian assistance with World Vision Korea, which is an international non-governmental organization with deep roots in South Korea. World Vision Korea also displayed a photo booth in front of the Centennial Museum on the issue. The forum kicked off with keynote speech by Mr. Matthew Scott, Leader of the Fragile Context Initiative of World Vision International on child vulnerabilities in the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, followed by presentation by Mr. Georgios Georgantas, Head of Mission at the International Committee of the Red Cross Korea on international humanitarian law and child protection. The representative from South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also joined to share South Korea's humanitarian policies. The policy forum concluded with a discussion on South Korea's contributions to reduce child vulnerability in conflict-affected contexts.
<Photos> (Left) Group Photo of the Policy Forum (Right) Photo Booth on Humanitarian Assistance and Children
On September 19, 2018, IDHS held an international conference on 'SDGs and Global Health' with support from Korea International Cooperation Agency. The conference commenced with welcoming remarks by Executive Vice President Byung-In Moon for medical affairs and director of medical center at Ewha Womans University, and congratulatory remarks by Mr. Edward Reed, then acting Korea representative of the Asia Foundation. Two renowned scholars in global public health gave keynote speech on girls' health, global health and the SDGs: Chairman Jean-Paul Moatti of the board and chief executive officer of the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development and Professor Karen Kim of the University of Chicago Medicine. The award ceremony of the competition was held at the opening ceremony.
Three main sessions on South Korea's global health strategy in the SDGs era, South Korea's health aid effectiveness and healthcare of the marginalized in developing countries, and roundtable session on adolescent health at risk in developing countries were held. Distinguished guests including Dean Vanphanom Sychareun of the University of Health Sciences from Lao PDR, Director Anthea Mulakala for International Development Cooperation of the Asia Foundation, Ms. Soohyun Kim, head of UNICEF Seoul office, and Dr. Juliette Petersen, science and technology fellow at the Embassy of the United States in South Korea.
Director Eun Mee Kim of IDHS stated that "all girls and children in all countries have equal rights to live healthy lives and be ensured well-being at all ages. International development stakeholders should discuss new approaches to protect girls' and children's health rights in developing countries while taking into account their specific circumstances. Partnership and alliance among government, academia and civil society organizations should be strengthened in order to support such approach."
<Photos> (Left) Group Photo of the Conference (Right) Keynote Speech by Jean-Paul Moatti