[Ip-health] FW: Dear Colleague; Trade; Health; Public Health Issues in Trade Agreements

[Ellen Shaffer]

--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
Thanks to Rep. Tom Allen (D-ME) for circulating
the public health objectives for trade
agreements, and calling attention to their
relevance for intellectual property provisions of
pending agreements with Peru, Colombia, Panama
and South Korea.  - Ellen Shaffer


>-----Original Message-----
>From: Stein, Todd
>Sent: Monday, April 30, 2007 5:12 PM
>To: Dear Colleague
>Subject: Dear Colleague; Trade; Health; Public
>Health Issues in Trade Agreements
>
>Public Health Issues in Trade Agreements
>
>
>April 30, 2007
>
>Dear Colleague:
>
>             The issue of intellectual property
> (IP) rules on medicines in trade agreements is
> receiving increased attention.  The new trade
> policy unveiled by Chairmen Rangel and Levin
> calls for re-establishing "a fair balance
> between promoting access to medicines in
> developing countries and protecting pharmaceutical innovation."
>
>             Congress may soon vote on free
> trade agreements with Peru, Colombia, Panama
> and South Korea, all of which impose stringent
> IP rules.  These rules can limit the
> affordability of needed medicines by
> restricting the availability of less expensive
> generic alternatives.  Provisions in these
> agreements may also provide a basis for
> altering domestic U.S. health care laws and policies.
>
>             A coalition of public health
> organizations, called the Public Health
> Advisory Committee on Trade, has proposed a set
> of public health objectives for international
> trade negotiations, which are listed below.  I
> encourage you to consider seriously these
> objectives as we debate trade policy.  The
> coalition can be contacted at phact.us.gmail.com for more information.
>
>
>Sincerely,
>
>
>
>/s
>
>Tom Allen
>
>Member of Congress
>
>PHACT w Public Health Advisory Committee on Trade
>[]
>
>
>w Phone: 415-933-6204 w Fax: 415-831-4091 w  phact.us@gmail.com w
>
>
>
>Public Health Objectives for International Trade Negotiations
>
>
>
>Public Health and Global Trade: Findings
>
>
>Global and bilateral trade negotiations present
>important opportunities to promote a healthy,
>safe and just global community.  However,
>current U.S. trade policies have contributed to
>social and economic inequality, both within the
>U.S. and among our trading partners, factors
>strongly associated with poor health outcomes.
>Trade agreements provide a basis for altering
>domestic U.S. laws and policies that protect the
>public's health and access to health care and medicines.
>
>
>
>Federal legislation mandates that the United
>States Trade Representative receive domestic
>input into trade negotiations from interested
>parties outside the federal government.  There
>have been limited opportunities for public
>health advice in reviewing trade policies, and
>as a result trade negotiations do not reflect a public health perspective.
>
>
>
>Federal law also mandates Congressional
>oversight of U.S. global trade
>negotiations.  Presidential Trade Promotion
>Authority undermines Congressional oversight and
>has limited Congress' ability to ensure that
>trade agreements promote social and economic equity.
>
>We urge Congress and the U.S. Trade
>Representative (USTR) to adopt the following
>enforceable Public Health Objectives, as a basis
>for amending pending trade agreements and to
>guide any future agreements, and to initiate a
>review of bilateral, regional and multilateral
>agreements for their adherence to public health principles.
>
>
>Public Health Objectives for Global Trade
>
>
>
>1.      To assure democratic participation by
>public health and transparency in trade policy by:
>
>a.      Appointing to all relevant trade
>advisory committees representatives of
>organizations that work to assure equitable
>access to affordable health-related services and
>products, and promote the health of individuals, communities and populatio=
ns,
>
>b.      Opening all proceedings and documents of
>trade advisory committees to the public, and
>
>c.      Requiring USTR's consultation with all
>relevant committees of the House and Senate in
>the development, implementation, and
>administration of U.S. trade policy, without
>renewing presidential trade promotion authority.
>2.      To develop mutually beneficial trade
>relationships that create sustainable economic
>development for the U.S. and our trade partners
>in an increasingly interdependent world.
>3.      To recognize the legitimate exercise of
>national, regional and local government
>sovereignty to protect population health, and to
>ensure that countries do not weaken or reduce,
>as an encouragement for trade, sound policies
>that contribute to health and well being,
>including laws on public health, the environ=ADment and labor.
>4.      To exclude tariff and nontariff
>provisions in trade agreements that address
>vital human services such as health care, water
>supply and sanitation, food safety and supply,
>and education, including licensing and
>cross-border movement of personnel in these fields.
>5.      To exclude tobacco and tobacco products,
>which are lethal, and for which the public
>health goal is to reduce consumption, from
>tariff and nontariff provisions of trade
>agreements, including advertising, labeling,
>product regulation and distribution.
>6.      To exclude alcohol products, which
>present serious hazards to public health.
>Policies designed to reduce the harm caused by
>alcohol products should not be subject to
>compromise in exchange for other trade benefits.
>
>7.      To eliminate intellectual property
>provisions related to pharmaceuticals from
>bilateral and regional negotiations, as these
>are more appropriately addressed in multilateral
>fora, and promote trade provisions which enable
>countries to exercise all flexibilities provided
>by the Doha Declaration on Public Health,
>including issuing compulsory licenses for
>patented pharmaceuticals, parallel importation,
>and other measures that address high prices and
>promote access to affordable medicines.
>
>
>AIDS Healthcare Foundation
>
>American Medical Student Association
>
>American Public Health Association (APHA)
>
>APHA Trade and Health Forum
>
>California Conference of Local Health Officers
>
>California Public Health Association - North
>
>Center for Policy Analysis on Trade and Health (CPATH)
>
>Chinese Progressive Association
>
>Church World Service
>
>Doctors for Global Health
>
>Essential Action
>
>Health Alliance International
>
>Health Care Without Harm
>
>Health GAP (Global Access Project)
>
>Hesperian Foundation
>
>Johns Hopkins Health and Human Rights Student Group
>
>Maquiladora Health and Safety Support Network
>
>Missionary Oblates Justice, Peace/Integrity of Creation Office
>
>National Legislative Association on Prescription Drug Prices
>
>Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala
>
>Partners in Health
>
>People's Health Movement USA
>
>Physicians for Social Responsibility
>
>Public Health Association of Australia
>
>Salud y Farmacos, USA
>
>San Francisco Tobacco Free Coalition
>
>
>
>Originally submitted to the U.S. Trade
>Representative and the Ways and Means Committee,
>U.S. House of Representatives, Hearing on the
>U.S. Trade Agenda, Wednesday, February 14, 2007
>
>
>
>

Ellen R. Shaffer, PhD, MPH, Co-Director
Center for Policy Analysis on Trade and Health (CPATH)
98 Seal Rock Drive
San Francisco, CA 94121-1437

phone: 415-933-6204
email: ershaffer@cpath.org
mobile: 415-680-4603
www.cpath.org
fax: 415-831-4091
--