AN APPROACH TO REGIONS AND COUNTRIES
WHO seeks to provide independent data and technical assistance to countries to help them develop informed approaches to addressing the health implications of trade issues at the national, subregional and regional levels. Thus, the focus of WHO technical cooperation on issues related to trade agreements, intellectual property rights and access to medicines can be described as follows:
Informed country approaches to health and trade
- Awareness raising and capacity building of policy makers and negotiators of the health impacts of international trade agreements, so as to ensure effective participation in international and regional negotiations, and that developing country needs and interests are adequately taken into account;
- Review of national health, pharmaceutical and intellectual property policies, legislation and practices, with a view to promoting the development and incorporation of TRIPS safeguards within the national policy and legal framework; and
- Continue monitoring and analyzing the impact of trade agreements on public health and access to essential medicines, including the impact of new trends and developments at the regional and bilateral levels
Policy and technical guidance on TRIPS Agreement, IP and public health
Critical to WHO's technical cooperation programme is policy and technical guidance. WHO identify key issues related to the TRIPS Agreement and Doha Declaration implementation and provides policy guidance and technical advice through its publications and related documents, which are made available to member States. Such policy and technical documents undergo a review process, including consultations with other international organizations and independent experts. The most recent publications in the Health Economics and Drugs Series of the Department of Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy - a WHO series of analysis papers looking at the implications of the new trade and economic context on health and drug policies - include the following:
Country support and capacity building
Direct country support and regional meetings over the past years have contributed to heightened awareness of the relevant issues and, more importantly, increased capacity for effective participation in international and regional negotiations. WHO adopts a multi-agency approach in conducting briefings and training sessions for health, trade and patent officials, to ensure coherent decision- and policy- making, and will continue to do so.
Related publications: