[Ip-health] Committee on ESC Rights Advises Costa Rica government to assess impact of CAFTA-DR

Tue Nov 27 05:34:02 2007

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Este correo electr=C3=B3nico tambi=C3=A9n est=C3=A1 disponible en espa=C3=
=B1ol; para recibirlo, dir=C3=ADjase a:  <mailto:cdommen@3dthree.org> cdomm=
en@3dthree.org

Apologies for cross-postings

UN Human Rights Body Gives Credence to Costa Rica=E2=80=99s =E2=80=9CNo=E2=
=80=9D Coalition:

Government Advised to Assess the Impact of CAFTA-DR on the Enjoyment of Eco=
nomic, Social and Cultural Rights

Geneva, 26 November 2007 =E2=80=93-Worried about the impact of CAFTA-DR on =
human rights?  So are the guardians of the International Covenant on Econom=
ic, Social and Cultural Rights.

During the recent appearance of Costa Rica before the Committee on Economic=
, Social and Cultural Rights, Committee members raised concerns about the e=
ffects of the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade A=
greement (CAFTA-DR) on various economic, social and cultural rights in Cost=
a Rica, including the rights to health, social security, food and water.

In its final recommendations to the Costa Rican government, made public tod=
ay, the UN Committee advised the Costa Rican government to seriously assess=
 the potential adverse impacts of its commitments under CAFTA-DR =E2=80=9Cp=
articularly on traditional agriculture, labour rights, access to health, so=
cial security, and the intellectual property regimes protecting, inter alia=
, access to medicines, biodiversity, water and the right of indigenous comm=
unities to these resources.=E2=80=9D[1]

These recommendations add the Committee=E2=80=99s authoritative weight to c=
oncerns long posed by human rights activists and the large percentage of th=
e Costa Rican population who oppose the agreement.

CAFTA-DR was narrowly ratified through a referendum in Costa Rica on 7 Octo=
ber 2007 amidst accusations of electoral fraud, and to the dismay of the ma=
ny experts who are concerned about the likely negative social and economic =
impacts of CAFTA-DR.  The Agreement will only enter into force when the Nat=
ional Assembly has approved eleven laws relating to its implementation.

The =E2=80=9CNo=E2=80=9D coalition, which represents the wishes of almost h=
alf of the country=E2=80=99s population, have repeatedly pointed, inter ali=
a, to the dangers of the new intellectual property regime CAFTA-DR imposes,=
 which will require changes in patent law that the National Pharmaceutical =
Industry estimates will cause medicine prices to rise by at least 800%.[2]

At present, access to health services is virtually universal in Costa Rica,=
 in large part due to existing patent legislation which enables the product=
ion of generic medicines and thus ensures that even the poorest sections of=
 the population are able to afford necessary drugs.  CAFTA-DR will change a=
ll this, through intellectual property provisions that will dramatically li=
mit Costa Rica=E2=80=99s ability to manufacture, sell or import generic med=
icines.

In response to questions posed by the Committee during the review on 6 and =
7 November 2007, the delegation stressed that the Costa Rican government ha=
d undertaken a human rights impact assessment of CAFTA-DR and was aware of =
the potential negative effects of the agreement on certain sectors of the p=
opulation.  The State confirmed that implementation would be carefully moni=
tored, and social compensation distributed where necessary.  Despite these =
vague assurances, the delegation failed to respond concretely to the majori=
ty of the Committee=E2=80=99s questions regarding CAFTA-DR, suggesting that=
 the government has not fully taken into account the effect of the free tra=
de agreement on its human rights obligations.

As State party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultur=
al Rights, the Costa Rican government is legally bound to ensure that it do=
es not regress on any of its human rights obligations.  Following this sess=
ion before the UN Committee, the government must be held to account and pro=
vide its citizens with proof of the human rights impact assessment it claim=
s to have carried out, as well as policy and budgetary evidence of measures=
 it is implementing to ensure that CAFTA-DR will not lead to a regression o=
n the enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights in the country.

For more information contact

Caroline Dommen, Director, 3D =E2=86=92 T HR EE,  <mailto:cdommen@3dthree.o=
rg> cdommen@3dthree.org, tel +41 22 320 2121,

cell +41 79 412 7207

Zoe Goodman, Programme Assistant, 3D =E2=86=92 T HR EE, zgoodman@3dthree. <=
mailto:zgoodman@3dthree.org> org,

tel +41 22 320 2121, cell +41 76 257 4543

See also

3D =E2=86=92 T HR EE background document : Costa Rica: Strengthening Patent=
 Laws, Weakening Human Rights, November 2007,

available at www.3dthree.org/en/page.php?IDpage=3D23&IDcat=3D5

Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Concluding Observations =
: Costa Rica, E/C.12/CRI.CO.4.doc, 26 November 2007, available at www.ohchr=
.org/ <http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cescr/cescrs39.htm> english/bodi=
es/cescr/cescrs39.htm and attached to this email

  _____

[1] Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Concluding Observati=
ons : Costa Rica, 26 November 2007, available at www.ohchr.org/english/bodi=
es/cescr/cescrs39.htm

[2] Mora Jim=C3=A9nez, H. 101 Razones para Oponerse al Tratado del Libre Co=
mercio entre Centroam=C3=A9rica y Estados Unidos, San Jos=C3=A9: Escuela de=
 Econom=C3=ADa Universidad Nacional, 2004.

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