Health equity in economic and trade policies

Regional meeting on Promoting Health in Trade agreements, 29 October 2005

The workshop on Protecting health in Trade agreements held in Johannesburg in October 2005 was held within an EQUINET programme with Centre for Health Policy South Africa and SEATINI Zimbabwe that aims to build capacities in state, legislative and civil society institutions to know, understand, analyse and promote public sector equity oriented health systems within trade and investment policies and agreements. The workshop reviewed the work and research papers of the capacity building programme implemented in Tanzania and Zimbabwe to date. The purpose of the workshop reviewed the training, findings and programme in order to identify issues arising for policy support, future capacity building, extension to other countries in the region and to strengthen linkages with other work on trade and health. The report of the workshop is avilable on this website under EQUINET publications

PROMOTING HEALTH IN TRADE AND INVESTMENT POLICIES

In 2004 EQUINET through the Southern and East African Trade and Investment Negotiation Institute (SEATINI) initiated a programme of work to analyse trade agreements relevant to public health (particularly GATS, TRIPS and agreements relating to food security) and raised policy dialogue on these at state, parliamentary, SADC and civil society forums. This work is being used in 2005 to pilot a capacity building programme and training materials on trade and investment and health systems for countries in southern and East Africa, involving also the Centre for Health Policy (South Africa) and with support from Training and Research Support Centre. The training will be followed by a programme of national assessments of trade and investment policies for their impact on commercialisation of health systems to identify areas for policy, research and negotiation.

EQUINET has through SEATINI also supported parliamentary awareness and policy analysis, and civil society engagement on trade and health. In 2005 we have in dialogue with SADC and other regional institutions supported planning for a feasibility study production and procurement of essential drugs; and carried out background literature review and contextual analysis for follow up field work on promoting gender equity in agriculture and smallholder food production as a basis for improved nutrition.

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