Resolutions Adopted at the National Conference — ‘WOMEN'S HEALTH AND DIVERSITY’

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Resolution No. 1
Participants, individuals, groups and research centres from across Canada, at the National Conference of Women's Health and Diversity, joined together to support the proposal of the Native Women's Association of Canada to facilitate the planning and implementation of a new secretariat to further the research and action needed for fundamental change in the quality of, and access to, services for Aboriginal women in Canada now and for generations to come.

Resolution No. 2
Participants to the National Conference approved that:

• The criteria for accessing funding for health research including women's health must take into account as appropriate the diversity of women's lives including, but not limited to, women who are marginalized because of race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, language, socio-economic conditions, age and immigrant or refugee status, and Aboriginal women.
• Where applicable, the diversity of women be represented as equal partners and involved in the decision-making, in the development and implementation of research projects and programs. Research groups accessing funding should demonstrate in a visible way inclusion of diverse groups of women.
• Individual communities of women be supported to do their own research by government and mainstream groups.

Resolution No. 3
To promote the integration of research and the work of women in the field, influence decision-makers and sensitize the public to the situation of women and their health, it was unanimously resolved that:

• participative action research be promoted, as well as evaluative research on pertinent interventions in the area of women's health by involving the women concerned;
• more funding be requested to carry out such research;
• the results of such research be disseminated to the community and public networks, as well as to the general public, in simplified language.

Resolution No. 4
A resolution was unanimously adopted to allow the Centre for Excellence for Women's Health-Université de Montréal consortium to make representations to the Quebec health and social service department to include women's groups, those responsible for the status of women in the health and social services network and researchers in women's health in the assessment and revision of its 1997- 2000 action plan on the status of women, "Santé, bien-être et conditions de vie des femmes."

Resolution No. 5
Considering the quality of the research done by the Program of the Centres of Excellence for Women's Health on diversity and social determinants of women's health, and since that the Centres of Excellence Program is in its final dates of mandate; therefore, be it resolved that this Conference recommends that Health Canada continue funding this Program for another five years.

These resolutions were unanimously approved in the plenary session of April 27th at the National Conference on Women's Health and Diversity (CESAF 2001) sponsored by the Université de Montréal, the Women's Health Bureau, Health Canada (Program of the Centres of Excellence for Women's Health), the Canadian Women's Health Network, Le Conseil du statut de la femme du Québec, la Fédération des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec and la Centrale des Syndicats du Québec.