The Ministers of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of countries have issued their most comprehensive policy statement on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) at the end of a meeting they held in Brussels on 8-9 November. From the "Conclusions of the meeting" that they issued, it is clear that the Ministers recognised that the six ACP regional groupings are at different stages of negotiations with the European Commission on their respective EPAs, and that there are also differences between the regions on the issues that the EPAs would cover and on whether the negotiations will end by the official 31 December deadline. The Ministers welcomed the results obtained and stressed the need to do everything possible to ensure that the list submitted by the ACP Group regarding the preference erosion is rationalised to render it more credible.
Health equity in economic and trade policies
The aim of this Report is to provide a rigorous analysis on how employment relations affect different population groups, and how this knowledge may help identify and promote worldwide effective policies and institutional changes to reduce health inequalities derived from these employment relations. Consequently, the report incorporates the political, cultural, and economic context to provide a comprehensive account of the current international situation of labour markets and types of employment conditions. Thus, through regulating employment relations, main political actors can not only redistribute resources affecting social stratification, but also have an impact on the life experiences of different social groups including opportunities for well-being, exposure to hazards leading to disease, and access to health care.
The Southern African civil society organisations campaigning on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), met in Gaborone, Botswana, from 20-22 November 2007, to review the EPA negotiations. This here forms a statement compiled by these organisations to re-affirm their opposition to these self-serving Free Trade Agreements that the European Union (EU) seeks to impose on African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. The respective civil society organisations condemned the interim arrangement put in place to address market access to the EU at the expiration of the Cotonou preferences on December 31, and describe the treacherous framework as designed for bulldozing Africa into signing a comprehensive EPA/FTA.
Ministers from the Eastern and Southern Africa region (ESA) and Commissioners from the European Union met in Brussels on 12 November 2007. The ESA delegation was led by Honourable Felix Mutati, Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry of Zambia, and included Ministers from countries in the region. The main purpose of the meeting was to take stock of EPA negotiations in view of impending expiry of the trade regime set out in the Cotonou Partnership Agreement and to provide political guidance for the next steps in the negotiation process. The Parties reaffirmed their commitment to conclude a comprehensive EPA as tool for sustainable development and the promotion of regional integration.
Following a meeting with trade ministers from the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries with the European Union (EU) in Brussels Wednesday, the European Commission said existing modalities supporting trade preferences would no longer be in force from January 1, 2008.
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.
This article provides a detailed analysis of the Rwanda-Canada use of the system created under the August 2003 Decision for the import/export of pharmaceutical products manufactured under compulsory license. It will describe the various procedures that the importing country, the generic pharmaceutical company and the exporting country have to go through, identifying lessons from the experience. The precedent that may be established is critical to the continued utility and functionality of the system under the August 2003 Decision.
A dramatic rise in international patent applications related to influenza is underway. This includes patent applications covering the virus itself, vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. As recently as 1993, years passed with little or no such patent activity. In 2006, however, more than 30 international (Patent Cooperation Treaty) patent applications were filed on influenza vaccines alone, making it the largest year on record - but not for long. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) data indicates that during the first half of 2007 as many influenza vaccine patent claims have been filed as in the entirety of 2006, meaning that this year is on track to at least double the record set in 2006. Together, these developments are resulting in a much more complex and limiting field of intellectual property claims than has ever before existed for influenza vaccine. And it is going to get worse.
In recent years, there have been increasing concerns about macroeconomic policy constraints interfering with the ability of many African governments to increase health sector spending and getting access to urgently needed funds for HIV/AIDS human resource development. The International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and, in particular, the IMF have been accused of undermining health care systems in many developing countries through conditionalities that favour budgetary ceilings as a panacea for macroeconomic stability. The economic policies sometimes affect overall spending, resulting in caps on the health sector, salary and recruitment of health workers and the acceptance of large amounts of financial assistance. AFRODAD has conducted a two country study aimed at looking at the links between macroeconomic frameworks provided by the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and the social spending, and in particular, the fight against HIV/AIDS in Ghana and Malawi. This study reviewed the major channels through which fiscal and monetary policies impact on public expenditure frameworks and how this, in turn, affects the ability of the countries under study to design and implement public programmes concerning those living with and affected by HIV/AIDS and assessing the debt positions of the case studies to see how the HIV/AIDS has impacted on their financial portfolios and planning abilities or vice-versa.
Member governments of the World Health Organisation (WHO) ended a week of intensive negotiations on a global strategy and plan of action to improve access to health care in developing countries, in particular, health research and development on diseases disproportionately affecting developing countries. The negotiations at the WHO Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights, chaired by Peter Oldham of Canada, were suspended on 10 November evening to resume again at a meeting tentatively set for 28 April to 3 May 2008. At the six-day talks, the negotiators are reported to have made some progress in a few areas, but with considerable and difficult negotiations ahead to agree and draw up "a global strategy and plan of action".