On September 11, 2009, KEI submitted a FOIA request for the daily calendar of USTR head Ambassador Ron Kirk. On Friday afternoon, November 6, 2009, we received a response to that FOIA. This complements our earlier FOIA which covered his calendar from March 20 to May 1, 2009.
On October 12, 2009, the “Industry Government Forum on Access to Medicines” (IGFAM) was launched. The UK Minister for International Development, MP Mike Foster made a a speech to launch this initiative which is reproduced below.
Presentations were also made by Pfizer (Ponni Subbiah), GSK (Abbas Hussain), Rajiv Venkayya (Gates Foundation), Prashant Yadav (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Suerie Moon (Research Fellow and Doctoral Candidate, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University).
USTR head Ambassador Ron Kirk made another speech on intellectual property on September 30, 2009. The text of his speech is here. Below are a few relevant quotes.
On access to medicine:
This is the intervention Australia made on agenda item 25 on the SCCR at the 2009 WIPO General Assembly. Australia supported the “the dual approach of the stakeholder’s platform as well as examining the possibility of an international instrument”.
USTR has a system I was not that familiar with. For documents the public can’t see, USTR provides access under an NDA to private sector “experts” they want to consult. On Friday I was told by USTR:
“We’ve consulted with an array of experts from various IP and tech industries and associations and NGOs in the process of deliberation regarding a US proposal on one section of the agreement.”
Before (or after) reading these accounts of FOIA requests to USTR, you might also review the transparency memorandum issued by President Obama in January 2009.
The following are some recent FOIA requests for USTR:
Written by James Love
Wednesday, 09 July 2008
PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH AND MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA (PhRMA) ANTI-COUNTERFETING TRADE AGREEMENT (ACTA) COMMENTS
March 21, 2008
On July 22, 2009, eight public interest, consumer and public health organizations wrote to the United States Trade Representative (USTR), recommending the USTR and other federal agencies reduce secrecy and increase transparency in negotiations that involve global norms for knowledge governance. Continue Reading
On July 22, 2009, eight public interest, consumer and public health organizations wrote to the United States Trade Representative (USTR), recommending the USTR and other federal agencies reduce secrecy and increase transparency in negotiations that involve global norms for knowledge… Continue Reading