ADS Global Forum

Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy ** Integrated Policy Exercise ** January 2003

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IPE 2003 Announcement

 

To:            All Ford School Students

From:       Marina Whitman

Date:        6 September 2002

Subject:   January 2003 Integrated Policy Exercise (PubPol 683)

 

 

RESOLUTION

 

Students of the Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy:

 

Whereas HIV/AIDS has killed more than 20 million people, approximately 3 million dying annually from AIDS-related causes, and an estimated 40 million people worldwide inflected with HIV,

 

Whereas the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis & Malaria (Global Fund) is a nongovernmental organization dedicated to preventing and treating HIV/AIDS in the world’s poorest countries,

 

Whereas only US$ 2 billion in pledges from government and private contributions have been received by Global Fund, far short of the US$ 7 billion needed annually,

 

Whereas the University of Michigan Gerald R Ford School of Public Policy requires all students to participate in the  Integrated Policy Exercise as part of the core curriculum with the following goals:

       

  1. To give students experience in integrating the skills and knowledge lea rned in courses and applying them to a current policy issue;

  2. To give students experience in negotiating, working in teams, and making public presentations

  3. To give students a sense of the multi-faceted nature of policymaking and of the constraints and tradeoffs involved;

  4. To increase the sense of community among Ford School students.

Therefore, the Ford School will host the Global AIDS Forum 2003 from 6 January 2003 to 9 January 2003 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to address reform initiatives for a more effective Global Fund, including:

 

  1. Financing.  To consider changes in funding mechanisms to increase the resources available to the Global Fund;

  2. Targeting.  To consider a general framework for distributions from the Global Fund that its both efficient and equitable;

  3. Programs/Activities.  To consider new program guidelines that focus on specific prevention and treatment activities sponsored by the Global Fund;

  4. Intellectual Property.  To consider the appropriate balance between concern for reducing the incidence and impact of HIV/AIDS and respecting global agreements on intellectual property rights.

 

APPENDIX

 

Schedule: Global AIDS Forum 2003 will begin at 2 p.m. on Monday, January 6 and will continue full-time through  dinner on Thursday, January 9.  (All regular Ford School classes will be cancelled during that week.)   The formal proceedings will culminate in a plenary session of United Nations Member States to vote on the reform proposal developed during the week.  It is critical that participants be present throughout all Forum sessions in order to receive a “pass” grade for the IPE, which is graded pass-fail.  Be sure to plan your return from vacation accordingly.

 

Structure: Forum participants will work together in groups of 4-6, representing one of three roles: 1) members of UNAIDS (the entity hosting the Forum), 2) representatives of national governments, or 3) representatives of a non-profit organization, corporation, interest or advocacy group that has a stake in the outcome of the UNAIDS Global Forum.  Related groups will be combined into larger “conference groups” for negotiation sessions.  These conference groups  will be responsible for developing common positions on the four topic areas listed above.  Individual participants’ assignments will include discussions with lea ders of the governments/organizations they are representing,, individual and group written assignments, negotiation sessions, and oral presentations.

 

Fall Prerequisites:  Two Forum-related workshops will be held during the Fall, one on negotiation techniques and one on the dynamics of working in small groups.  Information on the scheduling of these workshops will be distributed shortly.  They are required for first-year students and open to second-years.  As soon as specific dates are made available, participants should sign up for the workshop(s) they plan to attend.  Pre-Forum readings and detailed information on the structure, schedule, and logistics of the Forum will be distributed in early December.

 

Contacts:  Marina Whitman (marinaw@umich.edu) will be the faculty member lea ding the Global Forum IPE exercise.  The GSIs working with me are Christianne Hall   (ckhall@umich.edu) and Paul Wong (pwong@umich.edu).  A website for the Forum is in the process of being established and information on accessing it will be circulated shortly.