The growing trend towards public-private interactions and the impact on public health - 2001

WHO's and other international agencies and governmental bodies' increasingly close collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry has caused HAI and a number of public interest organisations to raise concerns about conflict of interest. HAI has focused attention on this issue at various fora involving WHO and other agencies.

Developments

1 June 2001
Responses to the HAI Lights cover story on GAVI published in March 2001.
Read the full text of letters received from: the GAVI Secretariat, the World Bank, the Dutch Minister of Health and Mark Weeks, an immunization programme specialist. Also, the author's response.

Read the editorial and news article on aspects of the GAVI debate published in the journal Development Today.

17 May 2001
Save the Children joins HAI in raising concerns at WHA about WHO's increasing collaboration with the private sector. Statement to the 54th World Health Assembly.

16 May 2001
WHO Director General addresses delegates at 54th Assembly and highlights public-private 'partnerships' as the way forward.

8 May 2001
HAI publishes briefing paper on "WHO's growing 'partnership' with the private sector: Addressing public health needs or corporate priorities?" for upcoming World Health Assembly.

7 May 2001
HAI Europe report highlights risks related to WHO's and others' involvement in public-private partnerships. Click here to download Word 6.0/95 version; HTML-version. Based upon the proceedings of a HAI Europe/BUKO Pharma Kampagne seminar held late last year, the report evaluates the risks and benefits involved in public-private interactions and tries to determine why the trend towards partnership has developed and captured the imagination of public agencies.

31 March 2001
British Medical Journal publishes article about GAVI cover story.

16 March 2001
HAI Europe publishes article raising concerns about GAVI's consequences for public health policy. Read the article and the press release about it.

15 February 2001
Global Compact with Corporations: Civil society responds
HAI Europe criticises WHO's increasing dependence on private sector funding at panel discussion at UN.
Click here to read that presentation and others criticising the UN's Global Compact.

22 January 2001
HAI and partners criticise WHO's growing role in public-private ventures at 107th WHO Executive Board meeting. La misma declaración en español: Declaración sobre las Directrices para el trabajo de la OMS con el sector privado