[A2k] 64 MEPs Call to the World Health Assembly, to the European Commission, the Council and to the national governments for a

Fri May 19 05:21:48 2006

Call to the World Health Assembly, to the European Commission, the
Council and to the national governments for a
Global Framework on essential health research and development

In November 2005, Kenya submitted a draft Resolution for discussion at
the 117th World Health Organization=92s Executive Board (WHO EB) meeting
in January 2006. The resolution, co-sponsored by Brazil, is entitled
=93Global framework on essential health research and development=94. After
some negotiation and re-drafting of the text, the EB decided to submit
the Kenya/Brazil resolution to the 58th World Health Assembly (WHA) from
21st to 28th May 2006, where it will be further discussed and hopefully
adopted.

This proposed resolution stems from the recognition of the paucity of
safe, adapted and affordable new medicines developed for infectious
diseases like HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis, and the lack of
vaccines, drugs and diagnostics for tropical diseases and other
pathologies that primarily affect the world=92s poorest. It also
recognises governments=92 responsibility in making global health and
medicines a strategic sector, to respond to medical needs worldwide.

While acknowledging the importance of intellectual property rights
mechanisms in stimulating investment in medical R&D, the resolution
seeks to encourage and plan a government-driven process to build a new
global framework to provide adequate and sustainable levels of financial
support for research that is consistent with human rights and public
health priorities for medicines in general.

Following the approval of the report on Neglected and Major diseases in
June 2005, we ask the European Parliament to support this resolution.

We ask the European Commission, the Council and national Governments to
consider supporting Kenya and Brazil in calling for a global framework
for essential health research and development at the upcoming World
Health Assembly (WHA).

We urge the Commission and the Council to support any other initiative
or resolution put forward at the WHA that defines government
responsibility in setting health priorities and help achieve the goal of
putting in practice a framework for ensuring sustainable health research
and development that responds to, and is steered by, health needs, and
results in affordable essential health products.

Strasbourg, 18 May 2006

1. GIOVANNI BERLINGUER
2. ADAMOS ADAMOU
3. VITTORIO AGNOLETTO
4. ALFONSO ANDRIA
5. JOHN BOWIS
6. ANDRE' BRIE
7. PHILIPPE BUSQUIN
8. GIUSTO CATANIA
9. GIULIETTO CHIESA
10. LUIGI COCILOVO
11. DORETTE CORBEY
12. BAIRBRE DE BRUN
13. VERONIQUE DE KEYSER
14. CLAUDIO FAVA
15. ILDA FIGUEIREDO
16. MONICA FRASSONI
17. CORRADO GABRIELE
18. DONATA GOTTARDI
19. LILLI GRUBER
20. PEDRO GUERREIRO
21. UMBERTO GUIDONI
22. BENOIT HAMON
23. SATU HASSI
24. ADELINE HAZAN
25. SYLVIA-YVONNE KAUFMANN
26. GLENYS KINNOCK
27. SEPP KUSSTATSCHER
28. VINCENZO LAVARRA
29. PIA ELDA LOCATELLI
30. ANTONIO MASIP HIDALGO
31. JIRI MASTALKA
32. MARIOS MATSAKIS
33. LINDA McAVAN
34. DAVID HAMMERSTEIN MINTZ
35. LUISA MORGANTINI
36. ROBERTO MUSACCHIO
37. PASQUALINA NAPOLETANO
38. ACHILLE OCCHETTO
39. PIERANTONIO PANZERI
40. DIMITRIOS PAPADIMOULIS
41. ANTONYIA PARVANOVA
42. LAPO PISTELLI
43. GIANNI PITTELLA
44. MIGUEL PORTAS
45. VITTORIO PRODI
46. LUCA ROMAGNOLI
47. MARCO RIZZO
48. GUIDO SACCONI
49. ALOYZAS SAKALAS
50. CARL SCHLYTER
51. NIKOLAOS SIFUNAKIS
52. GIANLUCA SUSTA
53. EVA BRITT SVENSSON
54. MARC TARABELLA
55. PATRIZIA TOIA
56. ANTONIOS TRAKATELLIS
57. FELEKNAS UCA
58. MARTA VINCENZI
59. MAX VAN DEN BERG
60. HENRI WEBER
61. FRANCIS WURTZ
62. MAURO ZANI
63. GABI ZIMMER
64. NICOLA ZINGARETTI