Deadline: 16 September 2016
Applications are invited for participation in the AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA) & International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) 2016 online training course on “Addressing Intellectual Property Barriers in African countries: Improving Access to sustainable availability & access to affordable, quality, safe & efficacious essential medicines”
ARASA is a partnership of 106 civil society organizations working together in 18 countries in southern and east Africa to promote human rights based response to, HIV and TB through capacity strengthening and advocacy. This online training course is one of several offered by ARASA with a view to strengthening African civil society expertise on HIV, TB and human rights advocacy
Aims
- An understanding and appreciation of the intricate linkages between access to essential HIV, TB and Hepatitis C medicines and the barriers presented by intellectual property legal and policy frameworks.
- Increased knowledge around the use of the flexibilities provided for by international trade agreements such as the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), to improve access to medicines at a domestic level.
- Provide participants with advocacy tools to equip them to utilize existing intellectual property flexibilities aimed at improving access to essential medicine
Eligibility Criteria
- African residents working in the area of the right to health, access to medicines, policy makers working on trade and development, human rights organizations (including NGOs and Government agencies), health professionals, legal practitioners and academics;
- Are fluent in English;
- Have daily access to the internet as well as access to a computer with the following specifications:
- Operating System: Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT, ME or XP; MacOS 9 or MacOS X
- Hardware: minimum 128 Mbytes of RAM preferably 512 MB, 1GByte of free disk space
- Software: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel 2000 or higher Adobe Acrobat Reader 5 or higher
- Browser: Internet Explorer 5 or higher OR Netscape Navigator 5 or higher
- Modem: 56 kbps minimum
- Are committed to participating fully in all the elements of the short course and an interest in the intricate nature of intellectual property rights as they impact access to HIV, TB and Hepatitis C diagnostics and medicines.
- Are committed to promoting a rights based responses to access to HIV, TB and Hepatitis C medicines in their own countries and in the region, by addressing barriers intellectual barrier rights.
How to Apply
Application should be submitted via email given on the website with the following documents:
- A one page letter of motivation, setting out why applicants feel that applicants would benefit from participating in the short course, and outlining how applicants will use the skills acquired during the course in applicant’s own country;
- Applicant’s resume / CV;
- A letter of support from the organization applicants are currently working with / affiliated to.
Eligible Countries
Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Cote d’Ivorie, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
For more information, please visit ARASA and ITPC Call for Applications.