E-DRUG: Serious Concerns With New Trade Deal
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[The TPP has to be ratified by each participating country before it can be accepted as an Agreement. So there is still time to voice concerns and try to prevent governments' ratification. For more details about the TPP see
http://www.haiasiapacific.org/?page_id=526
and
http://www.haiasiapacific.org/?p=1263 BS]
In reaction to the recently concluded negotiations for the Trans-Pacific
Partnership, the free trade deal between the United States and 11 other
countries, Stephanie Burgos, Oxfam America’s Economic Justice Policy
Manager, made the following statement:
"Oxfam has serious concerns about the contents of the TPP. As in all trade
agreements, the devil is in the details. Yet the details of the TPP have
remained secret during the five years of closed-door negotiations. From
news reports about final negotiations, as well as previously leaked
negotiating text, we know that the TPP would do more to undermine access
to affordable medicines in developing countries than any previous US trade
agreement.
"Now that negotiations have concluded, there is no excuse to keep the
details secret, and US law requires that the text be made public within a
month. But the TPP is not yet a ‘done deal’, as the US Congress will need
to pass it into law and other governments will need to sign and approve it
as well.
"We believe that trade can be an engine for poverty reduction and shared
prosperity if the rules of trade enable working families and those living
in poverty to benefit. But from what we know about the TPP, the rules on
intellectual property and pharmaceutical pricing are written to benefit
corporate interests over the public interest.
"Once the actual details see the light of day, final approval will likely
face stiff resistance in US Congress. Governments and parliaments in other
countries should think twice and consult broadly with their populations
before signing or ratifying the TPP, given its damaging provisions
affecting access to medicines. Citizens everywhere must hold their
governments accountable for promoting access to affordable medicines for
all, as enshrined in the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and
Public Health."
Best wishes