Marc,

I would be interested in reading your paper.  Good discussion thank you.

Best,

Sal

Dr Salim Vohra MBChB MSc PhD

| co-Chair of the Health (HIA) Section of the International Association for Impact Assessment|

| the international association for HIA and IA practitioners, academics and consultants – join today at www.iaia.org |

| Public Health By Design, Craneshaw House, Hounslow, London, TW3 1DA |

| email: sal@publichealthbydesign.com   mobile: 00 44 7 506 165 506 |

From: "mbrenman001@comcast.net" <mbrenman001@comcast.net>
Date: Monday, 16 June 2014 12:32
To: Martin Birley <martin@birleyhia.co.uk>

Cc: Alex Scott-Samuel <A.Scott-Samuel@liverpool.ac.uk>, Salim Vohra <sal@publichealthbydesign.com>, Ben Cave <ben.cave@bcahealth.co.uk>, Jenny Mindell <j.mindell@ucl.ac.uk>, TRB Health and Transportation <h+t--friends@chrispy.net>, "Ben Harris-Roxas (b.harris-roxas@unsw.edu.au)" <b.harris-roxas@unsw.edu.au>

Subject: Re: [H+T--Friends] H+T--Friends Digest, Vol 38, Issue 4 - HIA

Thanks, Martin.  Many of these international principles apply in principle but not in practice in the US; they have little or no legal standing.  Individual organizations could adopt them, and also pursue their own visions, like the Gates Foundation.  The values of a very large and rich organization like Gates can drive international efforts. Gates has been criticized for this; driving out other efforts.

 I wonder about the effectiveness of the work of corporations "ahead of the national government in which project is located."  For example, when I look at sixty years of humanitarian assistance in Haiti, I see almost no progress.  Organizations built medical clinics and hospitals that met no seismic design and construction standards, even though they were on a known earthquake zone, and consequently fell down in the big earthquake a few years ago.  This argues for inclusion of best practices from various forms of infrastructure when HIAs are done. This could be another example of the "silo" or "stovepipe" problem. 

 Another aspect from Haiti is the fact that some otherwise highminded organizations refuse to provide contraception, family planning, and abortion funding, services, or advice due to religious and theological reasons. They thus perpetuate poverty and thus wipe out any progress that may be made in another area.

 A third example those medical people on this discussion know much more about than me-- the lack of education and aid on basic sanitary services in places like Haiti. I watch sophisticated medical services being provided, when a shipload of 50 cent Chinese shovels and soap and instructions about digging pit latrines away from water sources and washing hands could accomplish more in cutting the chain of disease transmission.

 A fourth example from tragic Haiti is the emphasis by some organizations on electronic solutions to "problems," using cellphone and computer networks, for example, when much lower tech solutions are needed.

Sorry to go on like this, but when I look at evaluation of humanitarian operations, I see this sort of thing. If anyone is interested, I have a paper on this subject.

Best,

Marc

---

From: "Martin Birley" <martin@birleyhia.co.uk>
To: "marcomcast" <mbrenman001@comcast.net>
Cc: "Alex Scott-Samuel" <A.Scott-Samuel@liverpool.ac.uk>, "Salim Vohra" <sal@publichealthbydesign.com>, "Ben Cave" <ben.cave@bcahealth.co.uk>, "Jenny Mindell" <j.mindell@ucl.ac.uk>, "TRB Health and Transportation" <h+t--friends@chrispy.net>, "Ben Harris-Roxas (b.harris-roxas@unsw.edu.au)" <b.harris-roxas@unsw.edu.au>
Sent: Monday, June 16, 2014 12:06:42 AM
Subject: Re: [H+T--Friends] H+T--Friends Digest, Vol 38, Issue 4 - HIA

Marc
It would be great to have your detailed view of how the IFC PF and Equator Principles apply in US in light of what US is and is not signatory to. Also how well IFC addresses civil rights.

Treaties on human rights include the right to health. we have had legal opinion in the past that this is about progressive realization and that decisions by government that would reduce health are then in breach of treaty obligations.

In HIA I'm usually just constructing a justified argument to a corporation who are concerned about their reputation, social license to operate and investment risk rating. They are usually ahead of the national government in which project is located.
I think the IFC PS anticipates your point and expects clients to act even when government is uninterested. It's a loan condition.

Martin

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