You are invited to enhance by your participation an on-line regional consultation on "Globalisation, Gender and Health" that will take place from 26 January to 6 February 2004 at the following website:
http://www.ggh-project.info.

You are also kindly requested to share this invitation as widely as possible with your networks and other potential participants.

This important consultation that will benefit from your expertise and experience is led by UNIFEM. Its main objective is to determine the top priorities for future research and research training at the intersect of "Globalisation, Gender and Health" in the African context.

This consultation is part of an innovative project called "Globalisation, Gender and Health:
Research-Policy Interface" led by the Institute of Gender and Health, a member of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (IGH-CIHR), in collaboration with partner institutions and international collaborators including the Canadian Coalition for Global Health Research, the National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center, University of Harvard, University of Yale in the United States, WHO/PAHO, UNIFEM, UNESCO, the Millennium Project and the Global Development Learning Network.

The originality of this project lies in its unique thematic focus on the intersections between globalisation, gender and health and the analysis of their peculiar expressions at the national, regional and global levels. In addition, this project has adopted a methodology which involves the participation of researchers, professionals, policy makers and activists in order to establish a research and training agenda that can guide the definition of appropriate health and gender policies at the national, regional and international levels, thereby offering a valuable opportunity to influence the global health agenda from a gender and people-centered perspective.

The coordination of the project is currently drafting an "Issues Paper" that aims to provide a systematic analysis of relevant information and to identify research priorities addressing gender, health and globalisation. In this regard, this on-line discussion aims to elicit opinions and information for a debate on this "Issues Paper" from an African perspective, and to promote increased participation of African researchers and organisations in future studies and training programs on the impact of globalisation on gender and health.

You may find this Issues Paper at:
http://www.crwh.org/globalization.php. The French and English version of this paper will also be posted at http:// www.ggh-project.info, together with all the other background documents and practical information on the on-line consultation process.

At a later stage, the results of this consultation will also be used for the development of diverse projects that will benefit the Africa region. These projects include:

1. A global research agenda on the theme of "Globalisation, Gender and Health" involving North-South collaboration and funded by CIHR. This agenda will be realised in association with Canadian partners (NGOs, academic institutions and the private sector) and institutions/organisations in developing countries, in order to undertake studies on themes of common interest.
2. A training agenda in order to strengthen the institutional capacity of research teams to address the theme of globalisation, gender and health, funded by Fogarty International Center, and NIH. African researchers and professionals will be part of future training programs resulting from this initiative.
3. A policy agenda: the project will be able to sensitise political and opinion leaders on the themes for which there exists sufficient evidence through channels such as the Global Council of Women Leaders, the Economic Forum and the Millennium Project among others.

If you are interested in joining the on-line discussion, please let us know as soon as possible by sending an email to:

Zo Randriamaro
Consultant
[email protected] AND/OR [email protected]
Tel (33) 1 56 34 02 18
Please also provide a telephone number where you can be reached if the need arises.

We look forward to your positive response, and reiterate our particular interest in your participation in this Regional Consultation that will bring an important added value to the project, owing to your contribution. Should you have any further enquiries, please feel free to contact us.

Warm Regards
Zo Randriamaro