Go Red for Women Campaign Bola Ojo Executive S ecretary African Heart Network

Go Red for Women CampaignBola OjoExecutive SecretaryAfrican Heart Network Date: 21 April 2012Session Time: 16:00-17:30Location: Dubai C &D Zone 5 Session title: 8160 Addressing cardiovascular disease in women: a priority for development (Symposium)Your presentation: Raising political will through the Go Red for Women campaignStarting time of your presentation: 17:06; End of your presentation: 17:25

GO RED FOR WOMEN • is a multi-national campaign targeting women to increase awareness and understanding that cardiovascular disease is their number one killer. Community-based program reach women in innovative ways throughout low- and middle-income countries

Go Red campaign The objectivesThe campaign aims to encourage women to take care of their hearts, increase attention of medical professionals on CVD in women and prompt governments and policy-makers to bring this topic high on their health agenda.

The campaign so far • Has influenced the perception of others- more people are aware of heart disease and its impact on women • Has influenced behaviour- more women know their numbers, are modifying their lifestyle, diet • Has gained CSO’s/corporate support/community engagement-increasing membership, 40 countries hold events

Go Red Activities so far • Media campaign • Corporate support • Mobilising CSO’s- advocate and participate • Programs- pins, red dress events, fashion parades • Fundraising, awareness • Passion and positive action • Some links with politicians (USA)

The campaign Images

How can the Go Red campaign raise political will? The question and action is linked to the 3rd aspect of the Go Red campaign objective: • “prompt governments and policy-makers to bring this topic high on their health agenda”.

Politics...... • Politics is about Government, of or relating to the state, the body politic, civil aspects of government, public administration, policy-making, as distinguished from administration or law politics is often about internally conflicting inter-relationships among people in a society

Political Will? • Political will is the exercise of an abstract feature of political authority to enforce certain acts for the benefit of its intention, usually for the public welfare. It is an unconditional use of political power, the ability to influence the behaviour of others, to have influence to mould the perception of others

From social to political? • Go Red is currently a social movement. Can it prompt governments’ and policy makers by becoming more political? • A political movement is a social movement in the area of politics. A political movement may be organized around a single issue or set of issues, or around a set of shared concerns of a social group.

From social to development? • As a social movement, Go Red is also about development (improving lives) Women’s health is a development issue More than a health concern, research indicates that CVDs and other NCDs contribute to household poverty. Women should be at the centre of the CVD discussion, due to their role within families and communities Empowered women can be effective champions of heart-healthy behaviours for the entire household. Could it Go Red adopt • a “rights based” approach- the right to health?

From social to ‘gender” Since the 1980s, research on gender differences in health and disease has had important implications for the treatment and prevention of a variety of common serious illnesses, including heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, depression, colon cancer, and dementia. Can this aspect become the political message- gender based health inequity? A gender equality based approach-demanding same heart health rights, opportunities, resources and protections?

So, how do we raise political will? • We can learn from history-women’s movements-suffragettes, feminists, women’s lib etc • consolidate the movements influence by seeking to enhance international cooperation and taking a unified stance • Partner with others to create a foundation for future collective action to address many of the CVD/NCD issues • Make CVD a development as well public health issue with greater awareness of the gender inequity- become more active in international development

We could......... • Strengthen links with politicians global, regional, national • Build more regional Alliances- Africa and Asia (the populations can be an advantage!) • Empower rural women to become aware and take charge of their heart health • More outreach to young women • Become more media/PR savvy- develop ‘sound bites’ from Worldwide cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes 8.6 million deaths amongst women annually. It is the largest single cause of mortality, accounting for a third of all deaths in women worldwide

I am blind, please help..... (sign Ignored by passers by)changed by passing PR executiveTo Today is a sunny day, you can see it, I can’t. (new sign increased his receipts)

How can these images be more politically relevant to development?

The Go Red Campaign • Has achieved much- it reaches individual women, the health professionals, Civil society, women’s groups. It is in over 40 countries It now needs to focus its passion and positive action on : building its political influence advocating and encouraging global policy makers and governments to place CVD high on the health and development agenda

So a couple of symposia questions to stir the Discussion- in raising political will What should the Go Red for Women political message be? - gender based health inequity? It is after all A strong gender issue- and all the facts support it. Should the campaign be more about international development in a post MDG goals era? Is it not also a human rights issue? health rights? Is there a role for the movement in supporting the delivery of the outcomes from the UN summit on NCDs via the Global NCD framework

Go Red for Women Campaign Bola Ojo Executive S ecretary African Heart Network