8th World Injury Conference:
"Data to Action"

Durban, South Africa
April 2-5, 2006

IPPNW had a strong presence at the 8th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, the major international public health conference on injury prevention. Highlights from the main conference include the following:

• IPPNW had a record number of papers accepted - 5 papers for oral presentation, and 12 posters - a significant contribution to the "Violence Prevention" track that was one of the major themes of this bi-annual conference attended by over 1000 delegates from around the world, that for the first time was held in Africa. See abstracts of papers presented on IPPNW's web site by clicking on the link above.
• Members all made important contributions to other sessions in the Q&A segments, raising important issues and responding to key points. They also made contacts with many other health professionals in an effort to build awareness for our work and to encourage capacity building for the IPPNW and public health networks. Many of these people have agreed to join the Public Health Network, as well as our IPPNW small arms list serve.
• IPPNW actively participated in a meeting of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Violence Prevention Alliance business meeting, where Maria Valenti accepted the role as coordinator of a working group on preventing firearm violence, Dr. Crespin agreed to chair a group on train the trainer programs, and we agreed to participate in an upcoming June planning meeting in Brussels. IPPNW was formally accepted as a VPA member in 2005.
• IPPNW members attended and contributed to a strategy meeting of the US Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) International Emergency and Refugee Relief Branch to discuss the development of their 5-year research agenda on war-related injuries. We will be following up with additional comments as needed during this process, and hope to coordinate some of our country projects with the CDC work.
• Dr. Ime John, IPPNW/Nigeria was interviewed for a BBC radio broadcast on the human cost of small arms violence.
• Robert Mtonga's paper on domestic violence was nominated for a best paper award.
• A number of key people including conf. President Dr. Seedat singled out IPPNW as being an important group at both conferences, having high energy and impressive work to date. Aiming for Prevention program maturity was recognized.
• A number of IPPNW delegates also participated in other events that were held during this time, including: The annual South Africa symbolic "Salt March," that commemorates Ghandi's 1930 walk to the sea for Indian independence; a tribute lecture/dinner to honor the legacy of noted South African human rights leader Abdullah Omar; and the first global meeting of the International Society of Injury and Violence Prevention, on whose board sits IPPNW/DR Congo's leader Dr. Simon Bokongo.

Conference Highlights and Materials

• Abstracts & Reports
• Other Events in Africa, Spring 2006
• Photos

For more information on IPPNW's Aiming for Prevention campaign, contact coordinator Maria Valenti in the IPPNW Central Office in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

posted April 28, 2006

IPPNW's "Aiming for Prevention" program is currently supported by grants from the Human Security Program at Foreign Affairs Canada.