Congress report - European Health Forum Gastein

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86 European Health Forum Gastein 2001 Decision-making on trade and human development needs to be opened to a wider range of multilateral and civil society actors. Assistance and resources for more equitable participation in the emerging network of global governance must be made available to poorer populations, generally and poorer nations in particular. Regarding the GATS, the existing Agreement should not be extended or deepened at this time. GATS could increase the already substantial migration of skilled professionals, including health professionals, from poorer to wealthier nations. GATS may also increase privatization of and decrease access to many public services (health, education and so on) essential to health and well-being. Individual countries remain free to exclude such services from the Agreement, but the GATS built-in principle of "progressive liberalization," and the difficulty in foreseeing all possible future implications of services liberalization when specifying exemptions or modes of service delivery, renders such assurances questionable. Moreover, EU countries have already committed most of their health services to the GATS. It is important to recognize that the major force behind the GATS are private sector interests, such as the US Coalition of Service Industries and the European Services Forum. They are primarily interested in increasing private access to the public service market, i.e., the global health care market (worth US $3.5 trillion annually), education market (worth US $2 trillion annually) and water market (worth US $1 trillion annually). Regarding TRIPS, intellectual property rights similarly entered the world trading system at the behest of corporate interests. Unlike other WTO Agreements which require nations to remove trade protections, TRIPS requires that they extend protections, specifically corporate monopolies over drugs, foods (seeds) and other "intellectual property." TRIPS provisions (which are enforceable) currently contradict other multilateral Agreements, such as commitments to technology transfer, the right to food and health, and the Convention on Biodiversity (which remains unenforceable). TRIPS provisions also allow increasing "biopiracy," the patenting of traditional medicines and other indigenous knowledge by corporations based in wealthier nations. TRIPS, alongside TRIMS, is cited by the UNCTAD Director-General as the two WTO Agreements most potentially harmful to the abilities of least developed countries to develop their own internal economies. The TRIPS Agreement needs to be re-negotiated to reduce its extended patent protections, and to exclude property rights on life forms per se. This ban should extend to "micro-organisms" and "microbiological processes," which are currently allowed patent protection. Substances found in nature are a discovery and not an invention; they should not be patentable. There is also a presumption that decreasing the patent reach of TRIPS will lead to a retreat from scientific research and progress. Yet there were not generous patent protections in place when many of the great discoveries of the past century occurred. There is little evidence that generous patent protections lead to increased scientific research and progress (and certainly not for diseases affecting most of the world's poorer peoples), while there is substantial evidence that it is increasing drug costs. In public systems, this reduces the funding available for primary and public health care services of great importance in early disease intervention and disease prevention. Moreover, much of the research on new drugs, particularly antiretrovirals, is supported by public grants or tax deductions, rendering the distinction between private and public investment, and hence private and public "ownership," moot. Finally, Fortune magazine has just named the drug industry as "more profitable than any other." The industry was also rated the most profitable industry last year and has been consistently ranked number one or two by Fortune over the past few decades, including periods when patent protection was not so generous. In the case of both Agreements, how much profit is enough? At what cost to public health, both within and between nations? International Forum Gastein, Tauernplatz 1, A-5630 Bad Hofgastein Tel.: +43 (6432) 7110-70, Fax: Ext. 71, e-mail: info@ehfg.org, website: www.ehfg.org
Forum II: Globalisation, World Trade and Health Maurice Mittelmark The International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) is an independent professional association of individuals and organisations that for nearly 50 years has been committed to improving the health of the people of the world through education, community action and the development of public policies. With more than 2,000 members in over 90 countries, the IUHPE is the only global non-governmental organisation that provides an opportunity to build an international network to encourage the free exchange of ideas, knowledge, technical skills, and experience. The mission of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (the IUHPE) is to promote global health and to contribute to the achievement of equity in health between and within countries of the world. The IUHPE fulfils its mission by building and operating an independent, global, professional network of people and institutions to encourage the free exchange of ideas, knowledge, know-how, experiences, and the development of relevant collaboration projects, both at global and regional levels. In line with its mission, the IUHPE has three major goals: a) Advocate for health - to advocate for actions that promote the health of populations throughout the world. b) Improve effectiveness - to improve and advance the quality and effectiveness of health promotion and health education practice and knowledge. c) Build capacity - to contribute to the development of capacity in countries to undertake health promotion and health education activities. The IUHPE pursues these major goals by: • advocating for investment in health promotion and health education by governments, inter-governmental organisations, non-governmental organisations and the private sector; • undertaking activities that contribute to the development of knowledge and practice that further the field of health promotion and health education; • disseminating evidence-based knowledge and practical experience in health promotion and health education; • providing mechanisms for the exchange of ideas, experience and knowledge that promote health; • providing a global forum for mutual support and professional advancement of its members; • building alliances and partnerships amongst all sectors, based on agreed ethical principles, mutual understanding and respect; • strengthening the capacity of the Organisation to fulfil its mission. International Forum Gastein, Tauernplatz 1, A-5630 Bad Hofgastein Tel.: +43 (6432) 7110-70, Fax: Ext. 71, e-mail: info@ehfg.org, website: www.ehfg.org 87
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Organiser: International Forum Gast
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The International Forum Gastein gra
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Co-organisers Sponsors
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8 European Health Forum Gastein 200
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12 Preface David Byrne European Hea
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16 Günther Leiner European Health
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Inserat A1
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34 Investing in Better Health in Wa
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214 Summary Report of Forum V Stipe
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238 Main features of this database:
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242 DRAFT GUIDELINES ON QUALITY CRI
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244 Petra Wilson Statement not avai
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Inserat DaMe
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276 Final Programme 2001 Programme
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278 Friday, September 28th , 2001 0
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280 Forum II: Globalisation, World
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308 Ms. Regina Sauto Information an
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Congress report - European Health Forum Gastein

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