Health equity in economic and trade policies

PROMOTING HEALTH IN TRADE AND INVESTMENT POLICIES

SEATINI with TARSC under the umbrella of the EQUINET have carried out skills building, research and information exchange on the effects of trade agreements on health. In 2007, this work focused on key trade and health issues, including Intellectual Property Rights protection in the TRIPS agreement and access to medicines, and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) being negotiated with the European Union. ESA governments are urged to protect obligations to health in the EPAs through ensuring inclusion of key clauses, ie:
* Explicit inclusion of a commitment to interpret and implement any clauses in a manner supportive of ESA countries’ right to protect public health.
* Protection of TRIPS flexibilities (with no TRIPS plus clauses) and capacity support for implementation of TRIPS flexibilities.
* Exclusion of any commitments to liberalise health services as well as inclusion of a requirement for health impact assessments in any health related sector where there may be impacts on health, prior to commitments being made;
* Explicit provision for information, investments and capacity support to governments and social partners to manage, regulate and implement full flexibilities in relation to the health aspects of trade and to provide for losses to public revenue from trade measures.

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