THE INTERNATIONAL PEOPLE'S HEALTH COUNCIL (IPHC)

What is it? The International People's Health Council is a worldwide coalition of people's health initiatives and socially progressive groups and movements committed to working for the health and rights of disadvantaged people … and ultimately of all people. The vision of the IPHC is to advance toward health for all—viewing health in the broad sense of physical, mental, social, economic, and environmental well-being. We believe that:

• Health for All can only be achieved through PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY (decision-making power by the people), EQUITY (in terms of equal rights and everyone's basic needs), and ACCOUNTABILITY of government and industry, with strong input by ordinary people in the decisions that effect their lives.
  
• The policies of today's dominant power structures—tied as they are to powerful economic interests—have done much to precipitate and worsen humanity's present social, economic, environmental, and health crises. Those who prosper from unfair social structures are resistant to change. They also have vast power and global reach. So today, changes leading toward a healthier world order must be spearheaded through a worldwide grassroots movement that is strong and well-coordinated enough so it can force the dominant power structures to listen and finally to yield.

The IPHC intends to facilitate sharing of information, experiences, methods, and resources among a wide range of persons and coalitions involved in community health work who are oriented toward empowerment and self-determination. Its goal is to contribute toward a broad base of collective grassroots power which can have leverage in changing unfair and unhealthy social structures at local, national, and international levels.

Who can participate? The IPHC has no formal membership. It is an informal coalition of persons and groups who identify with its objective and wish to participate. Although most of the founding members of the IPHC are from the South, we feel the IPHC should be a South-North network, including grassroots struggles for health and rights of the growing numbers of poor and disadvantaged people in both underdeveloped and overdeveloped countries.

If you want to learn more about the IPHC, its plan of action, future meetings, publications, or if you want to join the network or help out either on projects or with donations, please contact:

Overall Coordinator María Hamlin Zúniga International People´s Health Council - IPHC Apartado # 6152, Managua, Nicaragua Telephone and fax: 505-2662225 iphc@cablenet.com.ni	Europe, Australia, etc. Dr. Pamela Zinkin Institute of Child Health 45 Anson Road London N7 OAR, UK pamzinkin@gn.apc.org	Near East Mustafa Barghouthi P.O. Box 51483 Jerusalem, Israel
Africa David Sanders UWC Public Health Programme P. Bag X17 Capetown 7535 South Africa imartin@itsnw.uwc.ac.za	Far East Mira Shiva A – 60 Hauz Khas New Delhi, 110016 India mirashiva@yahoo.com	Latin America and the Caribbean Carolina Grajales Valdespino PRODUSSEP Kramer 71 Col. Atlántida Coyoacán, Mexico. D.F. 04370 carolina-grajales@infosel.net.mx