Regional Health Research Network Partnerships in Asia
In 2006 in cooperation with the Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway, the Norwegian Embassy in Beijing and the FK Norway (www.fredskorpset.no) – Sekwa took the lead to facilitate the development of the FK Asia Health Research Network – a cooperation for professional and academic exchange with research and service entities in 5 Asian countries (Mongolia, China, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal) . The 8 million RMB program supported financially by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – exchanged some 30 participants over a 6 year period and gave valuable health research development support to its own development efforts and to its local partners (Beijing Capital Medical University and Tsinghua University) and other participants in this network. In 2011 it was presented as a successful case study in the OECD South South Opportunity Network and received a special for its contribution to South-South Triangular Cooperation by the Director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation, Mr. Yiping Zhou at the 2013 Global South-South Development Expo (http://www.fredskorpset.no/en/newlsetter/yiping/).
International Diabetes Federation
In 2014 a partnership was established with the International Diabetes Federation (www.idf.org). The IDF is an Umbrella organization of over 230 national diabetes associations in 170 countries and territories. It represents the interests of the growing number of people with diabetes and those at risk. The project “The Diabetic Retinopathy project for the Western Pacific Declaration on Diabetes (WPDD) was formally approved in the IDF-WP Regional Meeting in November 2014 as part of the current Western Pacific Diabetes Declaration Action Plan 2012-2015. The Action Plan aims to improve the lives of those living with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in the Western Pacific through targeted advocacy and education across all levels of society as part of the Joint WHO/IDF/Pacific Community Declaration launched in Kuala Lumpur in June of 2000 [1] .
[1] http://www2.wpro.who.int/wpdd/downloads/wpdd.pdf