The IGWG Negotiations are coming to the end, and although it is not clear what the package the negotiators will deliver is, enough of the process has been seen to rate the performances of some of the actors.
So here we go,
The Salk Prize for openness goes to Peter Oldham of the Bureau and Dr. Howard Zucker of the Secretariat for resurrecting the wifi in the public spaces around the drafting rooms, with a minimum of fuss, and enhancing at a stroke both the communications infrastructure and the transparency of the proceedings.
Runner up is Norway, who have done an able job of bridging the divide between negotiating parties, without losing sight of the goals of the negotiations, and the mandate of the IGWG.
The Standing up for the poor award, could be shared by a few who have come under fire, but goes to Dr. Huda Gashut of Libya, and the Vice Chair for the EMRO region, who was subjected to a veritable barrage of abuse and bullying, and didn’t let that distract her from putting public health first. Her repeated interventions reminding us of the primacy of public health, we, unlike others, do not consider a waste of time.
The poison pill award is jointly shared by Mexico and Sweden who have been doing their best to erode principles of public health enshrined in international covenants, and trying to reopen negotiations on already concluded negotiations, in particular, on the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health.
The playing possum award goes to the European Presidency who would have us believe they aren’t behind the interesting side discussions being held between the UK, Germany and African countries on a special deal for Africa, to the detriment of all developing countries, and the spirit of Geneva. Given the events of the summer it might be pertinent to ask if the European Parliament knows…