Small Arms Violence, ISCASA, and the IPPNW Students’ Congress

Previous to the IPPNW Students’ Congress, several students including Nigerian student and new International Student Representative Ehase Agyeno, American students Jack Wang and Tova Fuller, and Latin American students Nidia Rodriguez (of Ecuador) and Cesar Aleman (of Nicaragua) decided to form a group that would provide cohesion to student work on small arms . This group, entitled the International Student Coalition to Abolish Small Arms (ISCASA) would work parallel to existant IPPNW program, Aiming for Prevention, to draw parallels between small arms violence on different continents and provide support to involved students.

During the IPPNW Students’ Congress, students from several continents presented on small arms and light weapons - presenters included Abhinav Singh and Andrew Winnington, both of whom presented during plenary Session II: Modes of Destruction. Furthermore, a later workshop highlighted the work of Kenyan student Walter Odhiamso (check back soon for photos), Nigerian student Mansur Ramalan, Latin American students and American students. At the end of this workshop, Tova Fuller moderated a discussion of where ISCASA is going, and handed out a report detailing her current knowledge of small arms work. An idea that was presented was the creation of a virtual map of the world on the IPPNW students’ website, with hyperlinks on countries where student work on small arms is being done, along with key facts and details about this work and links to One Bullet Stories. During the following discussion, students were encouraged to share ideas for resources they think would be helpful in their own work including, but not limited to:

• A list of funding resources
• Victim testimonies (perhaps informally, and not via One Bullet Stories)
• A photo gallery
• Short versions of clinical data that one can present easily
• Research on trade and production specific to high conflict areas

Students present at the congress agreed on having conference calls via Skype every 2-3 months, and will be communicating via the ISCASA google group.

Walter Odhiamso presenting on clinical research on small arms in Kenya

Tova Fuller (USA) & Cesar Aleman (Nicaragua) talking about small arms violence during the workshop

Climate Change and the IPPNW Students’ Congress

First of all, Namaskar from India!

One theme that has permeated this IPPNW Students’ Congress, held from March 7th to the 8th of 2008, has been climate change and its effect on public health. In a previous posting I have discussed the Medical Alliance to Stop Global Warming (MASGW), a joint effort of the US’s Student PSR and AMSA. On March 7th, the MASGW presented alongside students from Pune and Abhinav Singh about climate change and environmental health during the first Session of the students’ congress. While the title of this session, Effects of War, may prima facie seem to imply plenaries will focus only on direct effects violence, one might make the argument that the Iraq war contributes to usage and ongoing reliance on fossil fuels, and hence on climate change.

During this shared plenary, all students highlighted the large responsibility of the developed world on climate change, and the disproportionate effect of climate change on the developing world. Members of the MASGW Steering Committee (Student PSR NSRs Tova Fuller and Lauren Zajac) led an introduction to the issue and then shared their current work on environmental health, speaking about Focus the Nation, the AMSA pre-conference which will be held shortly in Houston, TX, their Call To Action (see previous blog posting), and other efforts the US is making to draw attention to this grave threat to human health. Abhinav Singh and students from Pune presented hard evidence that global warming is affected by human activity, and shared the specific effects this would have on human health - both directly and indirectly through such phenomena as greater infectious diseases, etc.

Here’s the powerpoint presention.

A later workshop led MASGW and the students from Pune first reviewed material presented during the plenary, and then moved on to a brainstorming session, in which Tova Fuller led small groups of students in a “time travel” activity; students “traveled” to an ideal world in which global warming was no longer a problem. Participants imagined steps taken in their future’s past that guided them to this entirely green world in an attempt to think both positively and creatively about steps that need to be taken - from legislation to personal actions. Finally, Lauren Zajac collected commitments from students either in their personal lives and/or in student organizing. The MASGW will calculate the impact of these actions and plan to email the IPPNW listserv upon returning home with the net impact of the members of this workshop in order to inspire others.

The Medical Alliance to Stop Global Warming

The Medical Alliance to Stop Global Warming is a joint effort of Student Physicians for Social Responsibility (SPSR) and the American Medical Student Association (AMSA). This collaborative campaign is working with student leaders to bring the critical issue of global warming to medical schools around the nation and to encourage health professionals young and old to adopt energy-efficient lifestyles. Medical students and professionals can play an important role in the effort to fight global warming.

Presentations

The Med Alliance is excited to be presenting this March both in India at the students’ portion of the 18th IPPNW World Congress and at AMSA’s Pre-Conference.

Download a tentative version of the presentation that will be given as part of a workshop below:

Medical Alliance Presentation for the Students’ IPPNW Conference

The Call To Action

Fighting global warming, ending our dependence on oil, and protecting public health. Scientific consensus in the international community recognizes the very real threat of a changing climate due to greenhouse gas emissions. Our pattern of fossil fuel consumption is not sustainable. Unchecked, global warming will lead to increased heat-related illness and death, more intense droughts, famine, floods and storms, increased pest and water borne diseases, increased respiratory and cardiovascular disease as a result of worsening air quality, and displace hundreds of thousands from their homes. We call on our elected officials to immediately implement mandatory national global warming emission reductions, utilizing the most efficient and cost effective means, to achieve greenhouse gas reductions in order to protect the health of the American people and our neighbors across the world.

Our Call to Action is an effort to let legislators know we care about our planet, and our health, and subsequently we need stronger emissions controls. We will be delivering this petition to key legislators and presidential hopefuls in April of 2008.

If you are a healthcare professional or student in the US,

please take a moment and sign on to the call to action.

Get in touch!

• Visit our website
• Join our Google Group
• Join us on Facebook
• Sign the Call To Action if you are a healthcare professional or student in the US.
• Email: MedicalAlliance@gmail.com