On Tuesday, 27 January 2015, Argentina, Brazil, India and South Africa tabled a draft decision to extend the mandate of the Global strategy and plan of action and public health, innovation and intellectual property (EB136/CONF.7) until 2022. We expect that this draft decision will be discussed on Thursday, 29 January 2015 under agenda item 10.5, Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property. This decision recognizes the central role the global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property plays in “directing and coordinating WHO policies and programme of work on public health, innovation and intellectual property”. The text reaffirms that the framers of the GSPOA intended the strategy as a means of securing an “enhanced and sustainable basis for needs-driven, essential health, research and development” working in concert with the WTO Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health and the WIPO Development Agenda to provide countries policy space in setting norms to protect health, and promote access to medicines and access to knowledge. The WHO global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property, in addition to reiterating WHO’s role in providing technical assistance to its Member States in using TRIPS safeguards, provides a blueprint for global conversations on setting global norms for R&D, predicated upon the principle of de-linkage of the costs of R&D from the price of health technologies.
The full text of this draft decision follows.
EXECUTIVE BOARD EB136/CONF./7
136th session 27 January 2015
Agenda item 10.5Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property
Draft decision proposed by Argentina, Brazil, India and South Africa
The Executive Board,
Having considered document EB136/31 on Evaluation of the global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property,
RECOMMENDS to the Sixty-eighth World Health Assembly the adoption of the following decision:
The Sixty-eighth World Health Assembly,
(PP1) Reaffirming resolutions WHA61.21 and WHA62.16 on the Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property, which established a medium-term framework to secure an enhanced and sustainable basis for needs-driven, essential health, research and development;
(PP2) Recognizing the central role the Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property plays in directing and coordinating WHO policies and programme of work on public health, innovation and intellectual property;
(PP3) Taking note that the resolution on “Ebola: Ending the current outbreak, strengthening global preparedness and ensuring WHO capacity to prepare for and respond to future large-scale outbreaks and emergencies with health consequences” reaffirmed the Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property;
(PP4) Taking note that the international community including the WHO, intergovernmental organizations, governments, nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions and all other relevant stakeholders have yet to fully implement the Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property,
(OP) 1 DECIDES:
(1) extend the timeframe of the plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property until 2022;
(2) the Evaluation Management Group will be composed of 4 Member States from each region, in a transparent manner.