Jonas Gahr Støre

Presenting ISFiT 2011's Plenary Session Program

Get ready to meet world-leading speakers in all aspects of health during what is ISFiT’s academically strongest plenary session program ever.

Today ISFiT has the pleasure of presenting a strong and varied plenary session program. Global health is a theme that covers a lot of different areas, and this is reflected in the program. During the festival you will get the chance to meet experts on a lot of different topics, when people from all over the world, with backgrounds ranging from politics to researching, gather to exchange thoughts and ideas.

Foto:
Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit

The Norwegian Crown Princess talks about HIV/AIDS

Being a good will ambassador for the UN HIV/AIDS-program UNAIDS, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit is coming to ISFiT to talk about the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The princess, who is a member of the World Economic Group of young leaders, have for several years been committed to the work of combating AIDS.

AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since the virus was discovered in 1981. How does HIV/AIDS affect households, how does it effect national development and how can we treat the infected?

The former French health and foreign minister Professor Philippe Douste-Blazy and Dr. James McIntyre, who have been a HIV researcher for 25 years, will be speaking together with H. R. H. Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
The plenary session is held in Storsalen February 17 at 15:00

The Norwegian Foreign Minister talks about Maternal Health

“I have visited the festival several times, and I always get inspired by the commitment the students show around global topics,” writes Norway’s foreign minister Jonas Gahr Støre in an email to ISFiT

Together with Professor Sir Sabaratnam Arulkumaran and Professor Staffan Bergström, who both have devoted most of their adult working lives to improve women’s health, Støre is going to talk about maternal health. Every minute one woman dies during birth or pregnancy. Most of these deaths are happening in development countries, and many deaths could be avoided if the women had access to a maternity clinic. With representatives from both politics and academia present at the plenary session, this is going to be an important session about an important cause.
The plenary session is held in Storsalen February 14 at 19:00

Foto:
Hans Rosling

Health in a Global Perspective

Together with med Dr. Hans Rosling and Sir Michael Marmot you will, in the plenary session Globalize This: Health, get the opportunity to se health from a global perspective. Dr. Rosling, a professor at Karolinska Institutet, studies health seen in context with social and economical development. By using computer software to visualize statistics, he will definitely crush many of the myths about the world’s global health. Rosling is known for his fantastic presentations, and together with Sir Michael Marmot, who have been researching on health inequalities for more than 30 years; this is going to be an enlightening, interesting and entertaining evening.
The plenary session is held in Storsalen February 13 at 19:00

Foto:
Dr. Sima Samar

Health and Education

Dr. Sima Samar has for many years been working for women’s rights. In her home country Afghanistan, more than 80 percent of the female population is illiterate. Education is a vital factor in bringing people out of poverty and to improve their health. In the world today more than 69 million children lack the opportunity to go to school.

Dr. Sima Samar is a UN special reporter on the situation of human rights in Sudan, and has won several prizes for her commitment to peace and democracy. This is going to be an exciting plenary session with one of Afghanistan’s most prominent female voices.
The plenary session is held in auditorium F1 at Gløshaugen February 16 at 18:00

Meet the Student Peace Prize Laureate

Duško Kostic from Croatia is the first European to be given the Student Peace Prize. He got the prize for his work for Roma rights. As founder and president for the organization Association of Roma Friendship he has been working with education and building knowledge about the Roma, who is one of the most marginalized people in Europe. The Student Peace Price is awarded February 18, but February 16 you can hear him talk about the Roma people’s difficult position.
The plenary session is held in auditorium D1 at Dragvoll at 10:00