Despite a wealth of stakeholder consultations, plans, recommendations, commitments and declarations, food insecurity in Africa remains at unacceptably high levels (27%). There is general concern that the implementation of Maputo and Sirte summit decisions is not moving at the right pace to make a significant contribution to the attainment of MDGs by 2015. In line with the NEPAD philosophy of increasing reliance on Africa's own resources, the challenge facing the 2006 Abuja Food Security Summit is to accelerate reduction of food and nutrition insecurity through fostering mind-set change in mobilisation and utilisation of African resources to implement a few quick wins at national, RECs and continental levels.
Health equity in economic and trade policies
Declaration of the Abuja Food Security Summit
African Union: Summit on Food Security in Africa, Abuja Nigeria, 4-7 December 2006
Decolonizing technology: A reading list
Martini B: Tech and Tools for Justice and Rights Blog, 2017
Today, the ways and means of technology access and usage are suggested by the author to be driven by power dynamics centering on the needs of specific demographics and experiences, channeling a colonialist exercise of control, establishing who gets to use a tool or service, and to which extent. A growing number of researchers, scholars, artists and advocates has been looking into how a colonialist approach sits at the core of how a great deal of digital technology is developed, distributed, and capitalised. This has progressively contributed to a new lens through which to analyse the subject matter, which can be referred to as the concept of decolonizing technology. With the objective to build a resource to inspire new learning and reflections on the concept of decolonizing technology, this post includes a reading list on the topic. This list represents a snapshot of some the work done to date on the concept of decolonizing technology. It aims to inspire further research and discoveries of any other possible resource and initiative delving deeper into this subject, from many more and different perspectives.
Demand for malaria drug soars
Van Noorden R: Nature News, 6 August 2010
A decade ago, the anti-malaria drug artemisin – available only from the sweet wormwood plant, Artemisia annua – was scarce and expensive. But by 2007, the market was wallowing in a surfeit of the drug as farmers flocked to grow the crop. Now, as a US$343-million initiative starts to battle malaria through hugely subsidised medicines, suppliers are again worried that there will not be enough artemisinin to go around, while farmers, plant breeders and synthetic biologists are hoping that they can snap the drug out of its roller-coaster supply cycle. Farmers and scientists are struggling to keep up with needs of ambitious medicine-subsidy programme, the article notes. The authors observe that artemisin yields could be improved by planting new Artemisia strains. On average, one kilogram of its dried leaves yields some 8 grams of artemisinin. Researchers have used selective breeding to create hybrid plants that produce up to 24 grams, according to a British Artemisia breeding consortium. These plants are now being grown and harvested commercially in Madagascar, and trialled in South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe and the United States, as well as in Britain.
Developed countries continue to block TRIPS waiver proposal
TWN: Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Nov20/24), November 2020
Following the waiver proposal to suspend various provisions of the WTO’s TRIPS Agreement in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States, the European Union, Japan, and Switzerland among others are reported to have adopted “stonewalling” tactics to block progress towards a General Council decision on this issue. These countries have described the waiver as a departure from the past WTO agreements, lacking specific measures, arguing also that not protecting intellectual property (IP) will reduce investment in medical technology. In response South Africa commented that current “bilateral deals do not demonstrate global collaboration but rather reinforce nationalism, enlarging chasms of inequality.” India said that while “the TRIPS flexibilities do allow limited policy space for public health, they were never designed to address a health crisis of this magnitude (such as the COVID-19 pandemic).” The waiver proposal has come into a global stage where it is increasingly clear that the developing and least-developed countries are unlikely to get easy and affordable access for the new therapeutics and vaccines for COVID-19, calling for human lives to take precedence over the profits of the big pharmaceutical companies.
Developing countries firm up common Doha climate talks position
Africa Review: 30 October 2012
Negotiators from 46 Least Developed Countries met in Nairobi on 29 October 2012 to develop a common position to be presented at the November climate talks in Doha. The technical experts said that developing nations will agree on shared goals, which include establishment of a new climate treaty, financing and technologies required to accelerate green transition. Kenya's Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, Ali Mohammed, said that the global South has borne the brunt of negative impacts of climate change despite minimal contribution to green house gases responsible for warming the planet. He endorsed the multilateral process of the climate talks, which provides vulnerable developing countries with a forum for participating in global discussions and agreements. At the same time, developing countries should strengthen their negotiation capacity to influence a positive outcome of the Doha climate talks and overcome roadblocks in their efforts to table their concerns. Developing countries are in agreement that financing for climate adaptation, operationalisation of a green climate fund and the future of Kyoto protocol are key issues that should be prioritised at the Doha meeting.
Developing countries propose new TRIPS clause to avoid bio-piracy
Shashikant S: Third World Network, 8 June 2006
A long-standing fight by several developing countries to amend the WTO's TRIPS Agreement to oblige members to get patent applicants to disclose the source of origin of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge took a step forward in early June when six countries proposed the text of new provisions to be added to the TRIPS Agreement. The paper takes forward in a text for amending the TRIPS agreement what several developing countries had for several years been arguing for in various fora within the WTO (as well as outside the WTO (for example, in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Intellectual Property Organisation).
Developing countries propose TRIPS amendment to fight biopiracy
Ling CY: Third World Network, 6 June 2011
A large group of developing countries has submitted a proposal to amend the World Trade Organisation's Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement to require the disclosure of origin of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge in patent applications. The proponents stressed that the change would help ensure that the utilisation of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge would comply with the access and benefit-sharing legislation of the country providing genetic resources and traditional knowledge, that is, the country of origin. They call for acknowledgement that a legal obligation establishing such a mandatory disclosure requirement in patent applications will help prevent both misappropriation of genetic resources and the granting of erroneous patents and also enhance transparency about the utilisation of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.
Developing global health technology standards: what can other industries teach us?
Masum H, Lackman R, Bartleson K: Globalization and Health 9(49), 17 October 2013
There is a lack of effective and affordable technologies to address health needs in the developing world. In this paper, the authors argue that we can better develop standards for global health technologies if we learn lessons from other industries, such as by speeding the pace of innovation, unlocking health systems from single providers and approaches, and lowering barriers to entry. The authors consider relevant cases of standards development from other industries and propose that standardised platforms can lower barriers to entry, improve affordability, and create a vibrant ecosystem of innovative new global health technologies.
Developing nations respond to ECOSOC report
Saez C: Intellectual Property Watch, 16 July 2009
In response to the report by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on their high-level meeting held from 6–9 July in Geneva, Lumumba Di-Aping of Sudan, who spoke on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said the international community should not let the patent holders deny the right to health. Patent holders should not ‘seek to restrain and unreasonably impose measures that affect the supply chain of medicines and transfer of technology relating to health products.’ Mike Boyd, acting director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, asserted that pharmaceutical industry made a very significant contribution to helping achieve the health-related UN Millennium Development Goals. International cooperation should be improved in order to ensure access to affordable, good quality and effective medicines, said Maria Nazareth Farani Azevedo of Brazil. Intellectual property rights play a determinant role in the access, affordability, innovation, local production, and trade, she said, adding that member states should resolve the intellectual property agenda.
Developing nations seek International Monetary Fund reform
Caliari A: Al Jazeera News, 30 Novemer 2008
The top executives of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – both Bretton Woods Institutions – have decided not to attend the much-vaunted UN-sponsored Doha conference on Financing for Development. The decision is all the more startling because there remains a clear need for a swift and broad-based response to the financial crisis. By failing to attend the summit, both institutions certainly undermine their claims to leadership. Some observers have interpreted this as a show of contempt for the issues the poorest countries – especially those who did not participate in the G20 Summit on November 15 – may raise about international financial reform. Their conspicuous absence is typical of an approach that favours elitism and ‘club-based’ decision-making over inclusive processes.