August 30, 2010
From 27 to 30 October 2009, IFHHRO, the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, the Norwegian and Turkish Medical Associations and the World Medical Association hosted a meeting on Health as a Bridge to Peace in the Middle East. The meeting, which is seen as the exploratarory phase of a project with the same name, brought together representatives from health and human rights organisations and medical associations from Egypt, Iraq, Israel and Palestine. They convened in Kusadasi, Turkey, to discuss common issues on the right to health and how health professionals can contribute towards peace in the region.
Adriaan van Es, Coordinator IFHHRO
The conference provided an arena for valuable discussions and exchanging of experiences on the right to health in the Middle East. The participating countries are facing different challenges and during the discussions the political realities, particularly in Israel and Palestine, often surfaced. The objective to define a joint project appeared too ambitious. Instead, the participants and organisers decided to meet for a second time in 2010 in order to build stronger ties. The topic for this next meeting will be: the role of health personnel in health and human rights.