This is the English translation of the intervention delivered by the South Centre on Thursday, 23 January 2014 at the 134th session of the World Health Organization’s Executive Board expressing solidarity with the Government of the Republic of South Africa following the Pharmagate exposé.
Thank you, Madam President, for giving us the floor.
Since the South Centre is taking the floor before the WHO’s Executive Board for the first time in its capacity as an observer, first of all we would like to thank the Member Countries for enabling the participation of the South Centre as an observer in the WHO’s governing bodies. *
Attending the deliberations of the Executive Board and the World Health Assembly will help us pursuing our aim of providing developing countries with technical assistance in the areas of health and development.
Since our remarks take place in the context of the current situation in South Africa as has been expressed by the Representative of this country in the Executive Board, we wish to express our strong support to the efforts made by the Government of South Africa to improve access to medicines, particularly to the ongoing work undertaken to review its intellectual property legislation in order to integrate public health concerns into pharmaceutical patent examination.
Fourteen years ago, in the Executive Board, developing countries and some developed countries supported the Government of South Africa when 39 pharmaceutical companies brought a court case against the South African Government over the terms of its Medicines Act. History seems to be repeating itself. Therefore, a message of support from this leading authority on health issues to the Government of South Africa on its ongoing reform to their Patents Act would be welcome.
The South Centre supports developing countries making use of their right to incorporate all the flexibilities contained in the WTO TRIPS Agreement in their intellectual property legislation and implement them in order to ensure the access of all peoples to necessary medicines.
Many thanks
* WHA Res. 66/46 approving the establishment of official relations between the WHO and South Centre.