[Ip-health] Please endorse: Joint statement on access to medicines and the US Korean FTA

[Asia Russell]

Dear all,

Pasted below is an important statement being circulated by public health an=
d
AIDS activists opposing the US Korean FTA.

Please send your organizational endorsements to Heeseob Nam
<hurips@gmail.com> as soon as possible. The deadline for endorsement is Jun=
e
21, 2006.

Thanks!

Asia

--
Asia Russell
Health GAP
asia@healthgap.org
tel +1 267 475 2645
http://www.healthgap.org

Joint Statement on KORUS FTA

=B3We say NO to FTA, which threatens the people=B9s health right=B2

June **, 2006



People=B9s health is under threat.



Neoliberal globalization is the keyword explaining the current global
political and economic system. Its policies and orders, implemented through
multinational as well as bilateral or regional trade agreements, deteriorat=
e
public interest and deprive the people of their rights to access to public
service in the name of =B3free trade=B2.  FTA aims to promote privatization=
 and
commercialization of essential services such as health care, education,
culture, electricity, and water and every aspects of life. As a result, it
restricts access to medicine and threatens food security and safe
environment. The proposed KORUS FTA contains provisions that put profit of
transnational corporations (TNCs) ahead of people=B9s health right.  These =
are
the reasons why we say No to KORUS FTA.



1. FTA facilitates privatization and commercialization of public services
including healthcare system



We believe that everyone has the right to health service such as prevention=
,
treatment and rehabilitation based on one=B9s needs. Commercialization of
health service and privatization of public health facilities restrict
people=B9s access to proper health care.  Approving profit hospitals and
private health insurance system undermines the national healthcare system
which has been mandatory in Korea.



We oppose the KORUS FTA as it undermines the healthcare system as public
goods.



2. TRIPS plus provisions seriously restrict people=B9s access to medicine



Every nation is responsible to ensure its people to access medicine at
affordable price. FTAs seriously block people=B9s access to medicine by
forcing various measures to strengthen patent and intellectual property
protections on medicine.  For instance, linkage between patent and drug
approval, patent term extension for examination delay, exclusive right on
drug approval data, expanding patentable subject matter, limiting the
circumstances under which compulsory license may be issued, and prohibiting
parallel import would restrict the entry of generic competitors and
undermine the ability to access to medicine at affordable price.



We are also concerned of other measures such as A-7 average price for
innovative drug used to raise the drug price and serve to benefit patent
owners.



We demand that any measures that restrict compulsory licensing and parallel
import against the spirit of Doha Declaration on TRIPS Agreement and Public
Health should be stopped.



3. FTA threatens the safety of food and water



We believe that water is a common resource that everyone has the right to
get access.  Also, safety should be the priority concern in food trading.
We worry that the decision to restart import of beef infected of mad cow
disease is made by Korean government simply because beef was considered as =
a
barrier to FTA talk. It should have been based on medical and epidemiologic
evidence provided by independent party.  The SPS & TBT should not be used a=
s
measures to promote export against people=B9s health.  Thus we oppose KORUS
FTA that privatize water; reach agreements on SPS & TBT that threatens
health; and decide import of beef on political basis.



4. The investor-to-government claim system can infringe on government=B9s d=
uty
and right to protect public goods.



We have witnessed many cases that investor-to-government claim system
seriously infringes on people=B9s right to health, safe environment, and
public security system.  Under NAFTA, Ethyl and UPS claims against
government showed that public health policy could be ruined for the profit
of corporations.  We also know the case that the attempt of New Brunswick
state government to introduce a policy to improve public health system was
set back by an investor=B9s claim.



Therefore we oppose the KORUS FTA that contains provisions of
investor-to-government claim system.



Any international agreement, bilateral and regional trade agreements should
not contain provisions that adversely affect people=B9s health status.  We
conclude that KORUS FTA would infringe on people=B9s health right. Also we
conclude that it will be a barrier to the global movement to enforce
people=B9s health right. Thus we support the movement opposing KORUS FTA an=
d
we ask individuals and organizations all over the world to join our action.



June ***, 2006



Korean Federation of Medical Groups for Health Right (Korea)
Public Pharmaceutical Center (Korea)
Christian Medical Association for People Health (Korea)
Dasan Human Rights Center (Korea)
Essential Action (US)
Health Global Access Project (GAP) (US)
Health Right Network (Korea)
Intellectual Property Left (IPLeft) (Korea)
Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet (Korea)
Korea Social Insurance trade Union (Korea)
Korean Peasants League (Korea)
Korean Advanced Farmers Federation (Korea)
Korean Federation of Medical Groups for Health Rights (Korea)
Association of Physicians for Humanism (Korea)
Association of Korea Doctors for Health Rights (Korea)
Korea Dentists Association for Health Society (Korea)
Korea Health and Medical Workers Union (Korea), Korean Pharmacists For
Democratic Society (Korea), Solidarity for Worker's Health (Korea)
LaborNet in South Korea (Korea)
Media Center Mediact (Korea)
Nanuri+,HIV/AIDS Human Rights Advocacy Group of Korea (Korea)
Patients not Patents (US)
People before Profit (Korea)
Public Pharmaceutical Center (Korea)
Solidarity for Peace and Human Rights (Korea)
Won Buddhism Committee for Human Rights (Korea)