[e-drug] MSF briefing note (issues for Cancun)

[ingrid.cox@geneva.msf.org]

E-drug: MSF briefing note (issues for Cancun)
---------------------------------------------

The MÈdecins Sans FrontiËres (MSF) briefing note "One step forward, Two
steps back?"
(Issues for the 5th WTO Ministerial Conference, Canc?n 2003)
is available in English at:
www.accessmed-msf.org/documents/Pre-CancunBriefing.pdf
and in French at: www.accessmed-msf.org/documents/PreCancunFR.pdf

*******************************
Background:

In 2001 at the Ministerial Conference in Doha, Qatar, World Trade
Organization (WTO) Members adopted the groundbreaking "Declaration on the
TRIPS Agreement and Public Health," which unequivocally recognised the
primacy of public health over commercial interests.  The Declaration
confirmed some of the key flexibilities in the Agreement on Trade Related
Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), and obligated countries to
interpret the treaty in a manner that would protect public health and
promote access to medicines for all.  The core of the Declaration states:

     "4. We agree that the TRIPS Agreement does not and should not prevent
     Members from taking measures to protect public health. Accordingly,
     while reiterating our commitment to the TRIPS Agreement, we affirm that
     the Agreement can and should be interpreted and implemented in a manner
     supportive of WTO Members' right to protect public health and, in
     particular, to promote access to medicines for all."

On the eve of the next Ministerial in Canc?n, what has been achieved?  In
this document, MÈdecins Sans FrontiËres (MSF) assesses both the major
setbacks and accomplishments of the past two years, and outlines the key
issues to be addressed at Canc?n.

ingrid.cox@geneva.msf.org
--
To send a message to E-Drug, write to: e-drug@healthnet.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe, write to: majordomo@healthnet.org
in the body of the message type: subscribe e-drug OR unsubscribe e-drug
To contact a person, send a message to: e-drug-help@healthnet.org
Information and archives: http://www.essentialdrugs.org/edrug