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Concern over influence on World Health Organisation by outside agencies, and financial support

WHO Debates Changes To Safeguards Against Undue Influence By Outside Actors 26/04/2016 BY CATHERINE SAEZ, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY WATCH This week a group of delegates at the UN World Health Organization is seeking to finalise agreement on a draft framework defining the organisation’s relationships with external actors, such as philanthropy, the private sector, academia, and civil society. Today, Norway put forward a potential compromise. Meanwhile, dozens of civil society organisations called on member states to stand up to pressure to compromise the intergovernmental body’s independence from private sector influence……..

According to the letter, the current process [pdf] of engagement with non-state actors restricts the acceptance of financial resources from the private sector to support salaries of WHO staff, while the current FENSA draft “ignores such restrictions and allows the Secretariat to accept financial support from the private sector to pay staff salaries.”

The groups are worried that reliance on financial support from the private sector “risks leading to the corporate capture of WHO.” They are calling for WHO member states to address the concern of sustainable financing of the organisation.

They are asking that safeguards against undue influence from the private-sector-linked entities and public-private partnerships be strengthened, and “at the very least, FENSA should not dilute the existing WHO safeguards.”

They also request WHO’s core function be “fully” protected, in particular its norm- and standard-setting activities, from the undue influence by putting in place clear rules against acceptance of cash or in-kind contributions from non-state actors for norm- and standard-setting activities. Finally, they request that the independence and integrity of WHO be protected from undue influence even during humanitarian emergencies. http://www.ip-watch.org/2016/04/26/who-debates-changes-to-safeguards-against-undue-influence-by-outside-actors/

April 28, 2016 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, secrets,lies and civil liberties