Medicines for All, All for Medicines

UAEM's initiatives in the 2023/24 Winter Semester have showcased diverse successes, aimed at fostering a new wave of advocates and raising awareness around access challenges.

The semester kicked off following our annual European Leadership Meeting in Berlin, which brought together national coordinators and European coordinators to plan activities for the 2023/24 academic year. UAEM students prioritised on recruitment of new access advocates, fostering cross-regional collaboration and developing strategies to push forward our policies changes through a range of different pathways. 

Over the past few months, UAEM has concentrated on extending dedicated support to its members. Initially, expanding efforts to engage newcomers virtually, UAEM Europe launched our first ever Access to Medicines Fellowship program in October. This initiative offered a five-week engagement opportunity for students interested in the field of access to medicines. Following on from this, In November, UAEM organized our Training Weekend for new participants, convening 15 students from seven countries. This event provided an in-depth exploration of access issues, fostering an understanding of their role in driving systemic change. The workshops covered various topics, including an introduction to Access to Medicines, personal and leadership motivation sessions, negotiation skills, campaigning, and teamwork. For many participants, this training camp was their first exposure to UAEM, marking the beginning of their journey as health advocates, providing them with new skills and connections. 

Simultaneously, while upskilling our new advocates on vital access skills and content, UAEM members actively worked on raising awareness and advocating for equitable access through various initiatives. Collaborative civil society efforts included dialogues with the European Patent Office (EPO) to advocate for more stringent patentability standards. Additionally, UAEM actively participated in the WHO World Local Production Forum, hosting a key panel discussion to emphasize the role of students at universities in advocating for increased access through local production. Engagements also included participation in events such as the World Health Summit and the 'Force of the Future: Co-creating Youth Action on Immunization' hosted by WHO/Europe Youth4Health.

UAEM Europe extends its heartfelt appreciation to our donors for their ongoing support, which is vital to continuing our work as an organisation. As we embark on several new projects in January to engage the next generation of access advocates, we look forward to reporting on further successes as we advance with our access and empowerment initiatives. 

From the start of 2023, students from UAEM Europe have engaged in dynamic collaborations, impactful initiatives, and unwavering advocacy, to effectively dismantle access barriers rooted at their universities and beyond.

To kick off the year, one representative from our European Coordinating Committee was invited to attend the WHO Youth Council inaugural meeting in Geneva, held from January 27th to 30th. The event provided a platform for representatives from 22 diverse youth organisations, both from health and non-health backgrounds, to come together and discuss pertinent issues. UAEM's participation further solidified its reputation as the only youth-driven organisation focused on access issues. UAEM members remain actively engaged in the Youth Council, contributing their perspectives on access barriers within key health topics, such as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and universal health coverage (UHC). 

In April, we hosted our international conference, Together for Global Health Justice, bringing together over 70 students from nine countries in Europe and North America, and including new representation from Lithuania, Italy, and Cyprus. The conference agenda encompassed various workshops, including technical sessions on access to medicines, covering content and skills related to advocating for equitable access. Engaging skills workshops on campus organising, debating, and campaign strategizing empowered participants to become effective agents of change. Additionally, UAEM-focused workshops delved into research projects and campaigns centred around pushing forward the implementation of our Equitable Technology Access Framework (ETAF) at universities across the region. A highlight of the conference was the keynote panel, "Decolonising Global Health and the Fight for Equitable Accessible to Medicines.", which focused on the critical link between global justice and health, emphasising the need to challenge postcolonial structures perpetuating inequality and oppression within our work. 

In June, the Global Leadership Annual Meeting hosted by UAEM brought together leaders from various parts of the world to meet online. Representatives from Latin America, North America, Europe, and Korea joined this gathering, showcasing the organisation's global reach and impact. The meeting served as a platform to discuss regional priorities and explore opportunities for cross-border collaborations. Through productive discussions, UAEM leaders outlined approaches in advancing UAEM's mission of ensuring equitable access to health technologies worldwide.

In Case You Missed It - Our Chapter Highlight 

‘Lucky with Your Health’ Art Exhibition, UAEM Aarhus 

In April, the UAEM Aarhus chapter showcased their creativity and advocacy through an engaging art exhibition titled 'Lucky with your Health.' This captivating event explored two significant themes: Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and the pressing issue of discrimination within access to medicines. Through the medium of art, the exhibition skillfully shed light on these critical topics, provoking thought and raising awareness among attendees.

Upcoming Projects

UAEM UK launched their TenU Campaign earlier this month! TenU is an international collaboration of 10 university technology transfer offices, six of which are based in the UK. In the upcoming months, UAEM UK will focus on ensuring research outputs from the network are equitable, accessible and affordable - watch this space!