We are falling behind in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. Answering this challenge, a new initiative, Economic Governance for Health (EG4Health), aims to harness the voice and public health mandate of the global health community. In partnership with other civil society groups, the initiative seeks fundamental reforms of the global economic system in favour of just, climate-friendly and pro-health development. At the root of EG4Health are three simple points: the global economy is critically important to health, especially in developing countries; if we hope to achieve global health equity, we must first restore democracy and fair play to global economic governance, free from the undue influence of wealth and power; and the voice of the global health community can and should help to inform, stimulate, and shape the required reforms to the governance of the global economy.
Health equity in economic and trade policies
International AIDS activists working for access to affordable AIDS treatment called on the Indian Government to repeal the law that introduced product patent protection on medicines through an Ordinance, promulgated December 26, 2004. "India should be proud to be producing and exporting cheap, generic AIDS drugs for people in need. The changes to the patent law will increase the price of new drugs, as well as some AIDS medicines that are already produced and exported in generic form," said Rolake Nwagwu of Positive Action for Treatment (PATA), Nigeria. "Rising treatment costs will spell disaster for people with HIV in India and around the world." 8,500 people with HIV die daily worldwide due to lack of access to treatment.
At an informal meeting between the World Health Organization and a number of countries, held on 20 January 2010, the importance of having a fully realised framework for handling pandemic influenza was discussed. The meeting made progress on virus and benefit sharing, but it needed to cover pandemic risk response as well as pandemic risk assessment, said the Indonesian delegate. There was also some discussion on the way to handle virus and benefit sharing. India wanted assurance that the WHO does not commit to terms and conditions that might get set as precedents and upset the balance between virus and benefit sharing. Japan said that the agreement should focus on voluntary, not mandatory, benefit sharing but that states should do more to contribute as much as they can in terms of financial and technical resources to countries that need them. Sangeeta Shashikant of the Third World Network said, 'the inequity of a system that delivers vaccines to developed countries but requires developing countries to rely on ad hoc measures such as donations is apparent.'
World Action on Salt and Health (WASH), with the support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa, has conducted a survey which investigated the salt content of 387 popular kid’s meal combinations. The study found that of all countries surveyed, South Africa’s brand chicken burger and chips aimed at children, have the highest salt content of all kiddies chicken burgers globally (more than ½ a teaspoon) per meal. The study also warns that too much salt in childhood, habituates children to the taste of salt, which could increase their blood pressure, and lead to strokes and heart failure later in life. “With South Africa having one of the highest rates of high blood pressure worldwide and 1 in 10 children already suffering from high blood pressure, we simply cannot afford to allow such high levels of salt in popular children’s meals,” argues Christelle Crickmore, science and programme development manager at WASH.
A member of the European Parliament is reported to have argued that trade agreements must not contain clauses on intellectual property rights that could imperil poor people's access to affordable medicines. A veteran member of the European Parliament (MEP), David Martin, is reported to have expressed concern about ‘data exclusivity’ requirements, whereby major pharmaceutical companies would be able to block India’s generic medicines industry from using the formulae with which new drugs are developed for a period of several years. This is because India is a leading exporter of low-priced generic medicines to other developing countries, and such provisions have repercussions for those countries to which generic medicines from India are provided, including African countries.
In the WTO negotiations, there is a push towards the liberalisation of new services sectors by countries. However it is felt that basic services should be excluded, such as education, health, water, energy and telecommunications from the text of the WTO’s General Agreement on Trade in Services. These services are human rights that cannot be objects of private commercial relations and of liberalisation rules that lead to privatisation. The deregulation and privatisation of financial services, among others, are the cause of the current global financial crisis. Further liberalisation of services will not bring about more development, but greater probabilities for a crisis and speculation on vital matters such as food. The intellectual property regime established by the WTO has most of all benefited transnational corporations that monopolise patents, thus making medicines and other vital products more expensive, promoting the privatisation and commercialisation of life itself, as evidenced by the various patents on plants, animals and even human genes.
This statement on EPAs was compiled by the Platform of Central African Non State Actors (PANEAC) representing the following countries: Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, Central Africa Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad.
In response to the early online release of a French study in September 2012, which suggested that genetically modified (GM) maize may promote cancer and early death in rats, a number of environmental and development organisations working in South Africa have written this open letter to government demanding an immediate ban on human consumption of GM maize. In contrast to the 90-day studies conducted by Monsanto, which developed the particular variety of maize in question, th French study ran for two years and revealed long-term health hazards. Monsanto has repeatedly asserted Roundup Ready maize is safe. Over 70% of maize consumed in South African is GM, according to this letter, and over 40% of the national crop is of the Roundup Ready variety. The letter notes that in many high income countries Roundup Ready maize is considered fit for consumption by livestock only.
More than 45 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), from countries as diverse as Switzerland, India, the United States and Uganda, have voiced concern over the involvement of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the issue of 'counterfeit' medical products. In an open letter to WHO, the NGOs criticised WHO's involvement in the International Medical Product Anti-Counterfeit Taskforce (IMPACT), including its links to entities that are engaged in matters pertaining to intellectual property (IP) enforcement, the central role played by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Associations (IFPMA) in IMPACT's activities, the lack of transparency surrounding IMPACT's activities and the lack of accountability, as IMPACT has operated outside the purview of WHO member states. The open letter said that equating 'counterfeit' with spurious and falsely labelled pharmaceutical products not only undermines confidence in much-needed affordable quality generic products but also results in public health problems being addressed through an IP enforcement lens. It noted that spurious and falsely labelled pharmaceuticals will arise irrespective of whether or not there is an IP violation.
Non-governmental organisations have expressed their satisfaction at the European Commission’s (EC’s) declaration that it would not put ‘undue pressure’ on African and other countries to conclude the controversial trade deals called economic partnership agreements (EPAs). ‘We are very satisfied that the campaign has been able to convince many people that the EPAs don’t lead to development and that the ACP countries have to be given time,’ Marc Maes from 11.11.11, a coalition of Belgian non-governmental organisations, has said. ‘But we have to be careful because rhetoric and practice are often very different.’ David Hachfeld of Oxfam International said: ‘If countries don’t want an EPA on the basis of the Cotonou agreement, the EC should ensure that they are not worse off and offer them alternative agreements.’ An alternative could be the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) offered by the EU to more-developed countries countries that grants them preferential market access for 66% of their products. Another option is the GSP Plus scheme, which gives them duty-free and quota-free market access for 88% of their products, provided they have ratified the relevant human rights and sustainable development conventions.