September, 2023

For 5 busy, action-packed days 37 Global ARCH member organizations from 23 countries met in Washington, DC at the 8th World Congress for Pediatric Cardiology & Cardiac Surgery. On Sunday, we held our Global Summit at the American College of Cardiology, using break-out sessions to learn more about each group, and to discuss the challenges we all face. We reviewed the Declaration of Rights, and why it is such an important part of Global ARCH’s messaging, and what we should be asking our governments to do to help us achieve our goals. We also discussed the tools we can use for collective action. On Thursday, we met back at the convention center to report back on what we’d learned and to discuss next steps.

Each Global ARCH attendee received a free registration to attend the Congress and all of its sessions, and was invited to submit a poster of their organization for display in the exhibition area. The Global Village, a new concept for this more globally-themed Congress, provided a table for each group to display information about their organization. The Global Village consisted of our member organizations as well as 40 non-governmental organizations from 18 countries. The Global ARCH Summit, Global Village, and World Congress sessions were, according to the enthusiastic comments we received from our members, a great success!

Advocacy Updates

The Call to Action on Addressing the Global Burden of Pediatric & Congenital Heart Diseases was officially launched during the World Congress opening ceremony. The Call to Action is an urgent call for action by all governments, all health and development agencies, and the world research and academic community to protect and promote the health of all people with pediatric and congenital heart diseases. Individuals and organizations are asked to sign on. To read more, and to sign, please click below.

The Malaysia UN Mission is hosting the Congenital Conditions and Universal Health: A Global Dialogue, during the United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage. The event is co-organized by Children's HeartLink, Operation Smile, MiracleFeet, and Global ARCH. The meeting will include discussions about what resources are needed to serve children born with congenital conditions in need of surgical intervention around the globe, and how organizations can advocate with policymakers during the UN General Assembly.

Global ARCH visits USAID & the World Bank

On August 31, representatives from Global ARCH, Children's HeartLink, and the 8th World Congress for Pediatric Cardiology & Cardiac Surgery, met with the maternal and child health and nutrition team at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington, DC. Later in the day, they also met with the Global Service Delivery team at the World Bank. This small group of global pediatric cardiac experts, healthcare leaders, and patient and family advocates were there to discuss the role of congenital heart disease in maternal and newborn outcomes in low- and middle-income countries, and to introduce the Call to Action. Further discussions will follow.

For World Heart Day we're asking Global ARCH organization leaders for TWO things:

1: Please sign the Call to Action!

2: Let us know what your organization is fighting for. The right to health? The right to accessible healthcare? The right to life free from stigma?

Please send us a photo (or several) of your members holding up signs – “I have the right to_________” (fill in the blank). We will post as many as possible to social media and use on our website (note: you will be asked to give us permission to use the photos).

Thank you for helping us celebrate World Heart Day!

The World Congress on Rheumatic Heart Disease, hosted by the World Heart Federation in partnership with other leading organizations in the field, will bring together global experts on rheumatic heart disease (RHD), including researchers, practitioners, patients and advocates - including Global ARCH board members Flavia Baturine Kamalembo, Uganda Heart Institute and Anu Gomanju, NCDI Poverty Network - to discover the latest research, engage with global leaders, and explore practical and effective solutions to ending rheumatic heart disease once and for all.

We’d love to hear about what you and/or your organization is doing, and we will help spread the news. Please contact us at info@global-arch.org.

If you have a colleague who might like to join please ask them to visit our website.

To see our current list of member organizations please click HERE.