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PROJECTS

Reducing healthcare's carbon footprint discussed at Nivel
At Nivel Institute I was one of the organisers of a meeting in January 2023 with some 30 healthcare professionals participating from different disciplines. They engaged in a discussion on how to reduce the carbon footprint of primary and secondary care. Three themes were discussed: sustainable infection prevention, sustainable medicine use and sustainable behaviour change with specific focus on the role of healthcare professionals.

ILO-OECD-WHO Working for Health programme
I was part of the team from the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, that conducted a review of the relevance and effectiveness of the five-year action plan for health employment and inclusive economic growth (2017-2021) and ILO-OECD-WHO Working for Health Programme. The report served as input to the WHO’s Director-General’s report about this agenda item for Member States attending the World Health Assembly in 2021.

The Global One Health Environment
I was part of an international group of experts that has teamed up to facilitate innovating postgraduate and continuing education by developing a “Framework for a Learning Module on Continuing Environmental Education (CEE): The Global One Health Environment.” This framework enriches the learning about global interdependence, environmental sustainability, multilevel education, and action – and has just been published.

Gender-Responsive Public Procurement
The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) commissioned AEIDL to raise awareness and build capacity of institutions and public buyers on how to use public procurement while promoting gender equality. I was part of AIDL's expert team.
The project resulted in a brief about and toolkit for implementing Gender-Responsive Public Procurement (GRPP).
The project resulted in a brief about and toolkit for implementing Gender-Responsive Public Procurement (GRPP).

Gender Equality & Women's Rights
Jointly with Petra Snelders and Luna Vollebregt I am part of the writing team of the Dutch CEDAW shadow reporting. CEDAW is the abbreviation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The Dutch CEDAW Network submitted the report 'Women's Rights beyond Gender Neutrality: in words and in action' on behalf of 75 NGOs and CSOs.

Digital Health - The Stakes for Public Health
The European Public Health Alliance commissioned a study to explore some of the stakes for public health regarding digital health. This brief contains reflections and recommendations about what stakes are for public health in an increased data-driven healthcare and digitalisation of society. These stakes go well beyond the health sector and invite the public health community to start collaborating with organisations in digital rights, gender equality, and environmental and economic justice as well.

Working Together to Address Health Workforce Mobility in Europe
Open Society Foundations (OSF) commissioned and published this policy brief as part of their Public Health Program. Jointly with Milena Šantrić Milićević, Remco van de Pas and Heino Güldemann I reviewed literature and conducted interviews with European experts on health workforce mobility and migration. This information formed the basis for the policy brief in which we present our insights within a perspective on human rights, gender equality, and solidarity.

Gender Budgeting in the Netherlands
Our paper assesses if the Netherlands uses gender budgeting in its policies, especially in relation to its use of the European Structural Fund (ESF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Mieke Verloo and I concluded that the Dutch government makes little or no use of gender impact assessments and gender budgeting, while there is enough expertise available, and plenty of data disaggregated to gender and other indicators.

International PAD Strategic Network
The International PAD Strategic Network is a worldwide collaboration involving a range of different health professionals, groups within the general population, and patients. The network focuses on prevention and aims to enhance both primary prevention (preventing PAD from occurring at all) and secondary prevention (preventing major cardio-vascular events and death in patients with PAD). My role is to support this network.

Development Education & Awareness Raising (DEAR)
Based upon document review and consultations with DEAR project staff I have examined in this country study the national context of the Netherlands in which DEAR projects operate, in particular the public, media and political opinion relating to international development issues.

Clean Air Now! Rapid Solutions to the Air Pollution Emergency
I supported NCD Alliance with drafting a brief about 'Clean Air Now; rapid solutions to the air pollution emergency'.

Interconnected Challenges: Public Health, Climate Change & Political Economy
Strategic investments in the health workforce could contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth and are an imperative to shared prosperity. This article that I co-authored with Remco van de Pas, Anja Krumeich and Marielle Bemelmans, provides three cautionary considerations and argues that, in the longer term, a perspective beyond the dominant economic frame is required to further equitable development of the global health workforce.
This makes it necessary to redefine the goal of investments in health and other public goods beyond economic growth; because the goal of human well-being will remain, whereas that of economic growth should not. Doughnut Economics by author Kate Raworth was amongst my key readings.
This makes it necessary to redefine the goal of investments in health and other public goods beyond economic growth; because the goal of human well-being will remain, whereas that of economic growth should not. Doughnut Economics by author Kate Raworth was amongst my key readings.

Health Workers for All: project manager & coordinator
It was a sheer joy to collaborate with colleagues of civil society organisation, trade unions, academia, health professional organisations and others to jointly examine opportunities and challenges of improving access to skilled, motivated and supported health workers within a strong and sustainable health system. We highlighted the (potential) unintended consequences of unbalanced professional mobility.
Unequal distribution can amplify health inequalities and create access to healthcare problems – especially in times of crisis. The WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel has a role to play as a voluntary yet crucial instrument that can contribute to correct imbalances between Member States and help create (self)sustainable health systems.
Unequal distribution can amplify health inequalities and create access to healthcare problems – especially in times of crisis. The WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel has a role to play as a voluntary yet crucial instrument that can contribute to correct imbalances between Member States and help create (self)sustainable health systems.

Women's Rights & Social Justice: Coordinator & Rapporteur Dutch CEDAW Shadow Report
Jointly with Leontine Bijleveld I was coordinator/rapporteur of the shadow report to the 5th Report by the Government of The Netherlands on implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
I coordinated the process for input, organized expert meetings, engaged civil society organizations (CSOs) for their support and expertise, and successfully lobbied committee members of CEDAW to include critical issues for CSOs in their final recommendations. I wrote publications and provided presentations.
I coordinated the process for input, organized expert meetings, engaged civil society organizations (CSOs) for their support and expertise, and successfully lobbied committee members of CEDAW to include critical issues for CSOs in their final recommendations. I wrote publications and provided presentations.

Participatory Video: FEMSCRIPT
Nine women from the Niger Delta in Nigeria were involved in a participatory research and video project analysing the lives and experiences of women in the Niger Delta: FEMSCRIPT. Because so far women are hardly visible in stories about (conflict in) the Niger Delta. Yet, women’s lives are impacted by the ongoing conflicts in many ways.
Louise Verbree and I developed and provided the participatory video workshops with NGO MIND as local partner in Nigeria.
Louise Verbree and I developed and provided the participatory video workshops with NGO MIND as local partner in Nigeria.

Participatory Video: Daughters of the Niger Delta
As a follow-up to FEMSCRIPT, a documentary ‘Daughters of the Niger Delta’ shows the human rights situation in the Niger Delta. One that radically differs from the usual stories about oil outputs, violence, conflict and kidnapping.
It gives a taste of everyday life in the Niger Delta through the eyes of three ordinary women: Hannah, Naomi & Rebecca. It sheds light on day-to-day injustices that we rarely hear about in the news. But it also highlights women's strength and resilience.
It gives a taste of everyday life in the Niger Delta through the eyes of three ordinary women: Hannah, Naomi & Rebecca. It sheds light on day-to-day injustices that we rarely hear about in the news. But it also highlights women's strength and resilience.

Curriculum Development: Mapping Gender, Health & Development
For the project 'On Track With Gender' I screened courses to find out how much and in what way ‘gender and development’ was included in the curricula and research of cultural anthropology and development studies in the Netherlands and published a paper about it (Faculty of Social Sciences/ Centre for International Development Issues Nijmegen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hivos, Oxfam Novib). Previous experience with screening courses I gained at Radboudumc: I was assigned to create a coherent education programme on gender sensitive issues within the existing medical curricula through a participatory approach.
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