AIS - CODEDCO- IBFAN - FUNAVI (BOLIVIA)

These organizations working together work towards demanding more social accountability, particularly on the areas of Public Health and Appropiate Nutrition . AIS- CODEDCO Bolivia main focus is on the broad areas of public health, access to medicines and nutrition and their activities are translated into concrete activities around access to health care, rational use of drugs, patient's rights, consumer's rights, safe food, environmental protection, working from a human rights perspective.

Through it's work AIS- CODEDCO Bolivia make a contribution towards the People's Right to Health and Right to Food , looking for a fairer and equitable Bolivia Society, wherein human rights are respected and people have a potential to exercise their rights and know their duties as active and responsible people and consumers.

AIS- Bolivia initially devoted it´s work just to promote rational use of medicines and access to essential medicines, however, as the time elapsed a more integral approach was adopted by the organization in Bolivia, covering other areas like poverty reduction strategies, consumers protection, trade agreements and impact on health, trade agreements and access to medicines, nutrition, access to food, food security, food safety, promotion of breastfeeding, appropriate infant nutrition, environmental protection,

These organizations are part of the HAI Foundation (Health Action International), they are members of the International baby Food Action network (IBFAN) and of Consumers International (CI) a worldwide Federation which bring together efforts to protect consumers.

These organizations are able to influence local, national, regional and international policies related to human rights, public health, access to medicines, rational use of drugs, patients and consumer rights and meet and respond mainly to deprived population's interests. AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia, keep good channels of collaboration with different , similar organizations around the world, with whom a close collaboration was established.

The main strategies and tools are consumer information, education and public awareness, lobby , advocacy, mobilization of groups (at community level, trade unions , professionals associations and universities) and through cooperation with other institutions . AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia cooperate with many different actors in society and works with several hundreds volunteers all over the country.

The organizations ensure follow up to National Health and Trade Policies and international Health regulations and Trade agreements to advocate for the precedence of public health over trade agreements. AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia are members of the so-called Bolivian Mechanism for Social Accountability and an active member of the Bolivian Human Rights Committee. The struggle for equal right for both men, women and children in Bolivia is fulfilled through a strengthening of the participation of civil society organizations in discussions and decisions making mechanisms about health problems from a gender, diversity and equity principle and through the dissemination of information as part of the overall advocacy strategy of the organization. All these 3 organizations (AIS-CODEDCO-IBFAN Bolivia) are under the umbrella of a private non profit Bolivian Foundation, entitled FUNAVI (Foundation for Nature and Life) which host the 3 organizations working together.

The organization in general (AIS-CODEDCO-IBFAN) has 10 paid staff members in its office in La Paz; in addition there are 12 volunteer regional focal points all over the country and local groups of volunteers, with a total of around 300 participants, which are all actively involved in the work . AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia were founded in 1987 and works closely with national UN offices of WHO, Unicef, FAO. Other relevant links are with organisations that work from a Human Rights perspective such as Wemosn (The Netherlands), CECU (Spain) , Misereor (Germany) , the Belgium Institute for Tropical Medicine, Health Action International (Liman - Amsterdam), INFACT Canada, VOICE (India), CIN (Kenya), CEFEMINA (Costa Rica), LACMAT (Argentina) and many others.

Though AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia is a highly respected organization, which is often approached for it´s experts inputs and participation. These organizations have to face threats and menaces, from unknown sources, due the their activities implementing social accountabilty and claiming for a moren ethical behaviour of corporate industries, demanding more openness, transparency and social responsibility.

AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia therefore face some difficulties in the implementation of its lobby and educational work.

AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia are also very active on radio with information sketches in 4 languages at 15 radio stations and the publication of monthly newsletters, of which a 10.000 copies are printed. AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia also produce videos and develops every year a variety of posters and works periodically with the local mass media.

AIS-CODEDCO Bolivia, is quite interested to strenghten collaboration with other similar organizations, working on similar issues, with similar philosophy, strategies, perspectives and genuine committment to improve people's health and the right to health and the right to food.

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