[Ip-health] KEI IGWG2 prizes

[Spring Gombe]

  http://www.keionline.org/index.php?option=3Dcom_jd-wp&Itemid=3D39&p=3D89


KEI IGWG2 prizes
Spring Gombe
November 9, 2007


The IGWG Negotiations are coming to the end, and although it is not
clear what the package the negotiators will deliver is, enough of the
process has been seen to rate the performances of some of the actors.
KEI has assigned awards based on our assessment of performance  - you
can read the list below:

The Salk Prize for openness goes to Peter Oldham of the Bureau and
Howard Zucker of the Secretariat for resurrecting the wifi in the
public spaces around the drafting rooms, with a minimum of fuss, and
enhancing at a stroke both the communications infrastructure and the
transparency of the proceedings.

Runner up is Norway, who have done an able job of bridging the divide
between negotiating parties, without losing sight of the goals of the
negotiations, and the mandate of the IGWG.

The Standing up for the poor award, could be shared by a few who have
come under fire, but goes to Dr. Huda Gashut of Libya, and the Vice
Chair for the EMRO region, who was subjected to a veritable barrage
of abuse and bullying, and didn=92t let that distract her from putting
public health first. Her repeated interventions  reminding us of the
primacy of public health, we, unlike others, do not consider a waste
of time.

The poison pill award is jointly shared by Mexico and Sweden who have
been doing their best to erode principles of public health  enshrined
in international covenants, and trying to reopen negotiations on
already concluded negotiations, in particular,  on the Doha
Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health.

The playing possum award goes to the European Presidency who would
have us believe they aren=92t behind the interesting side discussions
being held between the UK, Germany and African countries on a special
deal for Africa, to the detriment of all developing countries, and
the spirit of Geneva. Given the events of the summer it might be
pertinent to ask if the European Parliament knows=85


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Spring Gombe
spring.gombe@keionline.org