International Agreements

International Agreements

·        Alma Ata Declaration on Primary health Care:

o   Declaration to protect and promote the health of all people

o   „Health for all by the year 2000‟ through quality primary care

o   Defined primary care and gave principles for health services

·        Ottawa Charter on Health Promotion: 

o   Building health public policy

o   Creating healthy environments 

o   Strengthening community action – power and control to communities to identify and solve their problems

o   Helping people to develop their own skills

o   Reorientating the health system: balance between preventative and curative services

·        Jakarta Declaration on Health Promotion in the 21^st Century:

o   Comprehensive approaches (using all 5 Ottawa charter principles) are the most effective

o   Settings offer practical opportunities for the implementation of comprehensive strategies

o   Participation by the community is essential

o   Health learning fosters participation

·        United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child:

o   Principles and standards by which governments, organisations and families can be measured

o   Ratified by NZ in 1993

o   Rights: 

§  Article 18.2: “render appropriate assistance to parents and legal guardians in the performance of their child-rearing responsibilities 

§  Article 23: Rights of mentally or physically disabled children: “full and decent life…. Dignity … self-reliance …. Active participation in the community”

§  Article 24: Right of all children to “the highest attainable standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health”

o  Most recent assessment of NZ raised concerns about:

§  Fragmented approach to the rights of the child

§  Insufficient data collection on the effects on children of economic reform 

§  “Extensive delegation of support services to children and their families” – but quality remains the responsibility of the state

·        NZ Child Health Strategy 1999 had 6 future directions:

o  A greater focus on promotion, prevention and early intervention

o  Better co-ordination

o  Development of a national child health information strategy

o  Child health workforce development

o  Improve child health research and evaluation

o  Leadership in child health