Author: Claire Cassedy

EB 136 Tuesday January 28: WHO Engagement with Non-state Actors; US issues apology to the African Group

Posted on by Claire Cassedy

During Tuesday’s session of the WHO Executive Board, the board considered a proposal from Argentina on the table for a “Framework of Engagement with Non-state Actors.” Many states, both Board members and non-Executive Board member states, contributed to the discussion, citing the issue as a critical reform issue for the WHO. While a number of states took issue with some of the specifics of the draft proposal, for example that at current time all types of non-state actors were lumped together (i.e. Continue Reading →

EB 136 WHO Special Session: Unanimous Ebola Resolution [finally reached on Sunday]

Posted on by Claire Cassedy

On Sunday January 25, 2015, the WHO Executive Board unanimously approved the resolution, “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.” Though unanimous in the end, negotiations for the resolution took 4 days, the Friday session lasting until 5:45am on Saturday morning.

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KEI Notes & Comments at TTIP Seventh Round of Negotiations at Stakeholder Event

Posted on by Claire Cassedy

The 7th Round of the negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Agreement began Monday September 29, 2014 in the United States. This round’s paltry effort at transparency, the TTIP Stakeholder Engagement Day, was held at the suburban 4-H conference center in Chevy Chase, MD. Although the information packet for the event included public transport instructions, the location was difficult to access for any attendees without a car, and even then, parking was extremely limited. Continue Reading →

Senator Wyden in 2012, on access to the TPP text

Posted on by Claire Cassedy

In 2012, as a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Ron Wyden was a strong advocate for providing the public with access to the TPP negotiating text. Now, as Chairman, the Senator has been silent on the public’s right to the text. This is an example of Wyden in 2012. Has his position changed?

Timestamp and notes on Wyden comments on need for transparency in TPP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUYCSSdhEC8

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EU’s TTIP Anti-Transparency Rules laid out in DG-Trade letter to USTR

Posted on by Claire Cassedy

Previously, KEI reported on the terms of reference (TOR) for the confidentiality of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiating texts, as laid out in a letter by USTR to DG-Trade. Although evidently publicly available, the EU counterpart of that letter was not accessible through the FOIA process. Obtained through the EU Regulation (EC) No. Continue Reading →

TTIP: Anti-Transparency Rules laid out in USTR letter to DG-Trade

Posted on by Claire Cassedy

KEI has obtained the terms of reference (TOR) for the confidentiality of the negotiating texts of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) Agreement. The TOR are laid out in a two-page letter from US Chief Negotiator Dan Mullaney to EU Chief Negotiator Ignacio Garcia-Bercero which is available here. The letter was obtained through a FOIA request filed by KEI with the USTR on May 19, 2014.

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KEI Notes on TTIP 5th Round: How to engage in a dialogue without access to the text?

Posted on by Claire Cassedy

Wednesday, at the George Mason University Law Campus in Arlington, VA, the Office of the US Trade Representative hosted an all day Stakeholder Forum in conjunction with the fifth negotiating round of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The first part of the day was devoted to Stakeholder Policy Presentations, with several hours of presentations by a variety of industry, academics, trade associations, and public interest groups. The latter part of the day consisted of a briefing by the US Chief Negotiator Dan Mullaney and the EU Chief Negotiator Ignacio Garcia-Bercero.

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67th WHA Side Event on Innovation and Access for Middle-Income Countries, Wednesday 21 May 2014

Posted on by Claire Cassedy

This Wednesday 21 May 2014, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), Civil Society Coalition, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Oxfam, Health Action International (HAI) and Treatment Action Group (TAG) will host a side event at the WHA on, “Innovation and Access to Medicines and Vaccines: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities for Middle-Income Countries.”

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Call for Action on Cancer Drugs by YP-CDN, KEI, and UAEM at 67th World Health Assembly

Posted on by Claire Cassedy

At the opening of the 67th World Health Assembly, today the Young Professionals Chronic Disease Network (YP-CDN), Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), and Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) released a briefing, “Cancer medicines are essential in reducing the global burden of non-communicable diseases.”

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KEI Comments regarding USTR Public Interest Trade Advisory Committee

Posted on by Claire Cassedy

Comments of KEI, regarding USTR Request For Comments From The Public On The Creation Of The Public Interest Trade Advisory Committee And Request For Nominees To That Committee.

Submitted to Regulations.gov on March 25, 2014, under docket number USTR-2014-0005.

Intellectual property issues are an important element of US trade agreements, and according to a recent study by Open Secrets, the most intensively lobbied issue, by far.

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