Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
developed in response to the globalisation of the tobacco epidemic (wHo 2003a;
see also chapter 13). It was widely recognised that public health should override
other interests. the IHr(2005) set forth an integrated framework in which public
health objectives are interconnected with international norms and agreements on
trade, human rights, environmental protection, and security, with a view to achieving
global health security (wHo 2005). a key component of revision process was the
balance between the maximum protection of health and minimum interference in
world trade.
More global health issues are emerging, such as climate change, the migration
of health professionals, innovation, intellectual property, trade and food security,
and trade in health services; these issues are complex and difficult to resolve. They
require innovative strategies and alliances to reach consensus on possible solutions
that link domestic and foreign policy, health, and trade.
In terms of the wHo, global health diplomacy is a way of managing external
policy for global health. Historically, the organisation brings together actors from
diverse sectors to promote health. It has been doing this since it was created in
1948, successfully eradicating smallpox, establishing the recent international
health rules on tobacco, and revising the IHr. In this past, however, this form of
active international cooperation on health-related goals was not framed as global
health diplomacy. but as the issues have become increasingly complex and require
international regulations, the notion of global health diplomacy has become central
to negotiations between conflicting interests and actors.
The Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation,
and Intellectual Property
In May 2003, the 56th world Health assembly (wHa) adopted resolution
wHa56.27, which created the commission on Intellectual Property rights,
Innovation, and Public Health (cIPIH) to develop the concept and practice of global
health diplomacy (wHo 2003b). the cIPIH's mission was to review the linkages
between intellectual property rights, innovation, and public health in light of current
evidence and to examine in depth how to stimulate the creation of new medicines
and other products for diseases that mainly affect developing countries.
In May 2006, member states asked the wHo to establish the IGwG, with the
mandate to prepare a global strategy and plan of action on essential health research
(wHo 2006). the goal is to secure an enhanced and sustainable basis for needs-
driven, essential health research and development (r&D) relevant to diseases that
disproportionately affect developing countries by proposing clear objectives and
priorities and estimating funding needs in this area.
the Secretariat for Public Health, Innovation, and Intellectual Property was
established in September 2006 to facilitate the IGwG's work. the working group,
composed of WHO member states, held its first session on 4-8 December 2006 in
Geneva. It met again on 5-10 november 2007 and 28 april-3 May 2008.
