[Ip-health] Oxfam, Health Action International (Europe) and Mé decins Sans Frontières: Joint Declaration- PETITION RE MINDER

[Terri - Louise Beswick]

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Please find below a reminder about the petition from Oxfam, HAI Europe and Médecins Sans Frontières:

Oxfam, Health Action International (Europe) and Médecins Sans Frontières  would like to draw your attention to a joint declaration (see: http://ww=
w.haiweb.org/13112009/JointDeclarationTradingAwayAccesstoMedicines.pdf) that details our concerns with the European Union's current approach to intellectual property and innovation policies affecting developing countries. Our organizations believe that the European Union's agenda is negatively impacting access to medicines in developing countries and will cause serious harm over the long-term to public health unless real reforms are instituted.

November 14th was the 8 year anniversary of the Doha Declaration on TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) and Public Health, which was agreed upon by all WTO Member States, including the Member States of the European Union, in 2001. Under the Doha Declaration, all countries committed to ensure that public health must be prioritized over trade interests. Our three organizations are deeply disappointed that the EU is breaking this commitment, while also failing to honor its obligations under the Millennium Development Goals.

We invite your organization to sign-on to this petition, to be handed over to the incoming European Commission, asking the Commission to adopt a new approach towards this critical issue. Due to the commissioner reshuffle we have extended the deadline for sign-on until 14 December 2009.

Please send your organizational sign-on to Sophie Bloemen at sophie@haiweb.org.

For additional information, please refer to the report issued by Oxfam International and Health Action International (Europe) detailing our concerns with European Union trade and innovation policy at: (http://www.oxfam.org/en=
/policy/trading-away-access-medicines)

Thank you very much to all the organisations who have already signed-on. We kindly ask you not to submit duplicates for this petition.

Very best wishes,

Terri Beswick

Communications Officer



Health Action International

Overtoom 60/II

1054 HK Amsterdam

The Netherlands

Tel: +31 20 489 1077

Mobile: +31 6 3494 0978

Fax: +31 20 685 5002

Email: terri@haiweb.org <mailto:terri@haiweb.org>

Website: http://www.haiweb.org <http://www.haiweb.org/>



Health Action International (HAI) is an independent, global network working to increase access to essential medicines and improve their rational use through research excellence and evidence-based advocacy.



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