E-DRUG: African NGO Forum Resolution on Right to Access to Needed Medicines
-------------------------------------------
http://www.wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/resolution-abuja
African NGO Forum Passes Resolution on the Right to Access to Needed
Medicines
Sean Flynn
November 10, 2008
A resolution calling on the African Commission on Human and Peoples’
Rights to recognize human rights to access needed medicines was passed
by at a meeting of African Human Rights organizations in Abuja, Nigeria,
on November 10.
The resolution on access to medicines was adopted by the NGO Forum
meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, on the occasion of the 44th Ordinary Session
of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The NGO forum is
composed of approximately 100 human rights organizations in Africa with
observer status before the commission. The resolution will now be
transmitted to the African Commission for consideration in its biannual
meeting taking place this week.
The resolution adopted by the Forum calls on the African Commission to
recognize “access to needed medicines as a fundamental component of the
right to health and clarify[ ] the state obligations in this regard.” It
specifically calls on the Commission to recognize duties to respect,
protect and fulfill rights to access to medicines, including by taking
“full advantage of all flexibilities in the WTO Agreement on Trade
Related Aspects of Intellectual Property that promote access to
affordable medicines.”
A full copy of the resolution is available at
http://wcl.american.edu/pijip/go/humanrights
--
Mike Palmedo
Research Coordinator
Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property
American University, Washington College of Law
4910 Massachutsetts Ave., NW Washington, DC 20016
T - 202-274-4442 | F 202-274-0659
mpalmedo@wcl.american.edu